That's Why They Call It the Blues
by the Divine Nataku
Summary: *COMPLETE* Spike has returned, seeking the help of the Bebop crew on a mysterious bounty. What does this bounty have in common w/ the crew and is Spike really alive? FxS
1. Prologue - Rain

Prologue - Rain  
"I walk in the rain…  
Is it right… or is it wrong?  
Is it here that I belong?"  
  
Spike Spiegel's P.O.V -  
  
Somewhere it was raining. Whether it was Earth, Mars, or somewhere   
on one of Jupiter's moons, I don't know, but I'm sure it doesn't matter.   
If space had what it needed to rain, it would be raining there, too. Not   
just those light drizzles, or intermittent showers, but all-out monsoon-type   
rain.  
  
Granted, I've heard that some people like the rain; they find it soothing.   
Other people don't care whether it rains or not. But all in all, most people   
don't like it. It's gloomy; it ruins moods and people's plans. But, since it's   
an act of nature, there really isn't much you can do about it. Sucks,   
doesn't it?  
  
But, then again, that's life. For some people, there are some times where   
life isn't fair, and for others life is never fair. They never catch a break.   
Things always seem to go wrong.  
  
There are times where a person reaches a point in their life where they   
lose everything that they deem important to them. When that happens,   
nothing really seems to matter anymore. They go about their life in   
purgatory; they try not to focus on the past, ignore the present, and deny   
themselves the hope of a better future. Take my life, for instance.  
  
You must be asking yourself, 'who can live like that'? I can tell you now,   
it's not really that hard if you put a little effort into it. I spent three years   
this way, in this invisible limbo. Keep in mind, I didn't just find a little   
isolated spot and begin to waste away, I went about life normally (well, as   
normal as the life of a bounty hunter can get), but it was more like a   
dream than anything else.   
  
The funny thing about it was that even though I was completely aware   
of the fact that it was a dream - an okay one at that (it did have its ups   
and downs every now and then) - I kept waiting for the day I would wake   
up. What was even more hilarious than that was the thought that if I did   
wake up, what would happen if I wanted to go back to sleep?  
  
Now, let me tell you, a lot of things happened before I decided to wake   
up. Sadly enough, not many of them were all that good. Still, if I think   
about it, I can remember just about everything that day. Even though it's   
been three years, I can remember everything that happened on the Bebop  
that day with crystal clarity - the day I went to find out whether or not I   
was alive.  
  
=====  
  
"Where are you going? Why are you going?"  
  
You'd think that with someone pointing a gun at my head, I'd be a little   
bit more concerned for my life. I wasn't the least bit concerned actually;   
Faye was a good shot and probably not one to be reckoned with, but I   
knew she wouldn't shoot me.  
  
Looking back now, I knew I was right, especially after I told her about   
my eye. The look in her eyes was clear - she wouldn't try to stop me;   
she only wanted to know why. Why would I, someone who seemed as   
though they didn't have a care in the world, want to give my life - or   
rather, commit suicide - for something that seemed, for lack of a better   
word, pointless?   
  
Unfortunately, at that time, I really couldn't give her an answer, at least   
not one she'd want or understand. I don't think I could even now. The   
fact was that I knew I had to say something. It wouldn't have been fair   
to her otherwise. At that point, even though I was staring right at her, I   
wasn't really looking at her. The pleading eyes I saw before me weren't   
emerald green, but blue, and the hair I saw framing her face wasn't   
purple, but blonde. In my mind, I was not staring down Faye Valentine,   
the notorious Poker Alice; I was looking at an angel - my Julia.  
  
My Julia… I'd laugh if it didn't hurt so damned much to think about.   
After all, this whole mess started because she wasn't mine. Despite the   
fact that I had known that from the very beginning, I chose to ignore it. I   
was living in a dream world - a dream world in which pain hurt as much -   
if not more - than the real thing. One can say that in this dream world I   
managed to learn a few things.   
  
For starters, Julia was a dream within a dream. An unreachable idol; she   
was like trying to reach for a star up in the sky. I'd like to say that I didn't   
realize that when I fell in love with her, but I did; I knew all along. The   
fact of that matter is, I didn't care. It seems unfair that after all my   
reaching she would fade away in my arms. I guess all that crap about   
'fools falling in love' does apply… I guess. Still, despite what some may   
think, in some aspects, I'm past all of that. Julia's no more than a memory   
now, a memory that will live on in me for as long as I live.   
  
Damn, that sounded lame.   
  
Still, now that she's finally been laid to rest, I can finally start to get on   
with my life. With that said, I find myself back on Mars facing the closed   
door of apartment 284. It's not mine; in fact, it took me a long time to find   
this place. Actually, that's a lie - it only took me a couple weeks, the rest   
of the time was spent deciding whether or not I should come all this way   
to see her. After all, we didn't exactly part on good terms.  
  
Oh well, c'est la vie. I find that I've been accustomed to saying that a lot   
as I knock on the door. I take a deep breath, waiting for the door to be   
opened. My efforts are rewarded, for not long after I finish knocking the   
door opens to reveal hers truly eyes wide in disbelief. She pales, almost   
like she's seeing a ghost. I expected all of this.   
  
I give her a playful smirk. "Hey there, Faye."  
  
Her door slams shut right in my face.  
  
End of Prologue 


	2. 1 - Somebody Else

Cowboy Bebop  
That's Why They Call it the Blues  
  
Chapter 1 - Somebody Else  
"Maybe I have the guts to go mad  
Maybe I'll mess me up real bad  
Maybe I'll make you wish you had the old me back"  
  
Scary Movie trivia test: What do you do when the monster/evil villain/zombie/ghost/other_______   
arrives at your front doorstep?   
A. Scream and let yourself be eaten/killed/kidnapped/disemboweled  
B. Run away… or   
C. Scream.  
  
Most helpless, hapless, clueless and downright dumb females of the typical horror movies when faced with a similar situation would pick one of the options from above. However, since we all know Faye Valentine to not fit the category of a regular woman, she went with choice D, none of the above - or slammed the door shut.  
  
Needless to say, Spike was a bit nonplussed. He stared at the golden numbers 284 as he listened quietly to the rustling noises coming from within. As he leaned in closer, the oak door swung open revealing one pissed off woman - complete with a gun aimed right at his head.  
  
Spike blinked several times. He hadn't been expecting this either. Raising his hands slowly, he took a step back. "Hey now, Faye," he began.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" she replied in an even voice, unmoving.   
  
Chuckling slightly, Spike quirked an eyebrow at her. "You're joking, right?"   
  
Faye's expression did not change. "I'm holding a frickin' gun to your head," she told him sternly. "Do I -look- like I'm joking to you?"  
  
"I suppose not," Spike countered, shoving his hands into his pockets. He had ditched the faded blue suit for a worn leather jacket and a pair of denim jeans. He smirked slightly. "You're not high are you?"  
  
The woman's eyebrow twitched slightly, something she had been accustomed to whenever someone managed to piss her off - Spike more than anyone else. "I don't abuse any narcotics or illegal   
substances." she told him through strained teeth.  
  
"Oh." There was a thoughtful pause. "Are you plastered then?"  
  
Faye let out a strangled sound of frustration, bringing her weapon closer to his head. "I don't drink either," she told him. "Now who are you and what the hell do you want?"  
  
"Come on now, Faye," Spike replied. "Drop the game; you know who I am."  
  
"I know who you look like," she replied. Pausing, her voice dropped considerably. "But you can't be him…"  
  
Curious about the change in her tone, Spike moved a bit closer. "What makes you say that?" he asked.  
  
Lowering her gun ever so slightly, Faye took a step back, lowering her gaze. "Because he's dead."  
  
Ignoring her gasp of surprise as he placed his hands firmly on her shoulders, Spike leaned closer towards her, their noses nearly touching. He could feel her breath on his neck and she could feel his on hers. His mismatched eyes stared into hers intently. "Am I really?"  
  
Faye nearly dropped her gun. "Spike Spiegel…" Spike released her, stepping back a few paces to let the truth sink in. It didn't take as long as he thought for he quickly found himself staring down the barrel of her gun once again. "What the hell do you want?"  
  
Spike's demeanor remained calm; something he found only seemed to anger her even more. "I need your help." he told her.  
  
Faye laughed out loud. "My help?" she repeated. "You need my help? Now I -know- you're a phony. Since when has the great Spike Spiegel needed the help of me - Faye Valentine; Faye the bitch, the shrew woman? How could I possibly be of service to you?" She unlocked the gun's safety. Spike blinked again, surprised that he hadn't noticed that earlier.  
  
Clearing his throat, Spike answered with, "A bounty."  
  
A red lacquered finger spun the chamber. Fiery green eyes glared up at him angrily. "You want my help on a bounty?" she asked him incredulously. "You filthy sonuvagun!!"  
  
"Now, Faye…"  
  
"Don't you 'Now, Faye' me!" she snapped back at him. "You have no right! Hell, you don't even have the right be here! Do you have any idea of the shit I've been through!" She stepped out the threshold of her apartment, her gaze and her hand never wavering. "Three, Spike, three has been my unlucky number."  
  
The green-haired bounty hunter frowned in confusion.  
  
"You're good at math, aren't you, Spike?" she asked him, her temper still fuming. "Try to keep up with me - Take 3 times 20 and you get the 60 years I spent in cryo-freeze because of a freak accident that left me paralyzed with no treatment available at the time. Take another 3 times 10 and you get the 30 billion woolongs consisting of my hospital bill I woke up to with no knowledge of who I was, where I came from, or for that matter, why I was in the hospital in the first place! Oh - and let's not forget that   
little bit tacked on by that worthless sack of crap Whitney." Faye took a deep breath seemingly to clear her thoughts, but Spike knew she was far from done.   
  
"If you take another 3, you get the 3 years I spent aimlessly wandering the galaxy trying to piece together some semblance of my life all the while trying to figure out what happened to my old one. Needless to say, I managed to get myself into a bit of trouble along the way, adding more debts to my plate - that's when I meet you guys." Spike raised his eyebrow slightly.   
  
Faye looked up at him, an unreadable expression on her face. "Do you know that the Bebop was the first and only place I can even remember feeling welcome?" Spike didn't respond. "I thought by living there, hunting bounties and all that… I thought I could forget about my past…" She laughed bitterly. "What a joke. It's just too bad it caught up with me."   
  
Spike could sympathize there.  
  
"What do you do when you find out that any hope of piecing together your past vaporized 50 some-odd years ago with the Gate when it obliterated Earth? What do you do when you realize you have memories of people and places that have long since turned to dust? What do you do when you realize that even though you're biologically 80 years old, but you have no clue what to do with your life?" She shook her gun slightly to emphasize her point. "You carry on, Spike, you persevere! But you wouldn't   
understand any of that, would you?" Spike's mismatched eyes narrowed slightly. "No, you just had to screw it all to Hell, didn't you? And now you come back - 3 years later, mind you - asking for my help? Well, get this - I'd rather eat shi--?" Faye looked up to see Spike was no where to be seen. "Huh? Where'd he go?"  
  
"Interesting place you've got here." Faye wheeled around, poking her head back inside her apartment where Spike was busy giving himself a personal tour.  
  
Faye closed her eyes and let out a deep breath - counting to ten no doubt. "What are you doing?" she asked.  
  
Spike stopped at a small bureau where a picture frame rested next to a vase of white roses. He picked up the frame looking at a man and a woman smiling at the camera. The woman was obviously Faye, though without her usual yellow headband, and wearing a lot less make-up. The man, however, Spike did not recognize. "Who's this?" he asked.  
  
"What?" Faye asked wearily, shoving the gun she had been holding into a holster hanging over the back of the door. She glanced at the picture in his hand. "Oh, that's Macy."  
  
"Macy?" Spike frowned. "What kind of name is that?"  
  
"It's his name," Faye retorted irritably, reaching out for the frame. "Now, give that back."  
  
Grinning boyishly, Spike held it back out of her reach. "Touchy, aren't we?" he asked. "What is he to you? Your boyfriend?"  
  
Faye twitched slightly; he had hit a soft spot. "No, he's not my boyfriend." she answered. "He's my roommate."  
  
"Your roommate?" His tone sounded a bit skeptical.  
  
"I'm not screwing him if that's what you're suggesting." Faye replied. "Just because I used to dress like a slut doesn't mean I am one." She plopped down in an overstuffed chair in the living room - shooting him a dirty look, of course. "He's just a friend."   
  
"I see." Spike replied, sitting down across from her. Her first remark, surprisingly enough, had stung a little. Still, he couldn't help but feel a little relief, though he wasn't sure why.  
  
Eyeing him skeptically behind thick eyelashes, Faye replied smugly, "Jealous?"  
  
Nearly dropping the cigarette he had procured from his jacket, Spike sputtered a negative. "What would give you an idea like that?" he frowned.  
  
"It was just a question." Faye answered innocently. "Besides, he's not your type anyway. Macy likes his men a bit more sensitive."  
  
Nearly burning off the tip of his finger, Spike cleared his throat. "I'd rather not know, thanks." he replied shooting her an evil glare.  
  
"Suit yourself." Propping her legs up on the armrest of her chair, she folded her arms behind her head, staring up at the ceiling. "So, about this bounty…"  
  
Putting away his lighter, Spike glanced at her nonchalantly. "What about it?"  
  
Faye looked over at him. "That's exactly what I'd like to know." she replied. "What's the bounty and why do you want my help?"  
  
"Actually," Spike replied. "I was hoping to get everyone's help - you, Jet, and Ed - on this one." He took a long drag on the cigarette, letting out a puff of smoke. He closed his eyes as the nicotine passed through his system. He knew the blasted things would kill him one day, but he couldn't bring himself to quit. Feeling Faye's stare on him, Spike produced another one from his pocket, offering it to her.  
  
She seemed a bit stunned at first, but she shook her head in a negative. "I quit." she told him.  
  
"Really?" he asked. "When?"  
  
"About two years ago." she answered. "There were times when I didn't have enough money to buy'em and…"  
  
"And?"  
  
Faye turned her gaze back towards the ceiling. "And since you weren't around to steal from… I just decided to quit."  
  
"I see."   
  
Spike's expression hadn't changed since he had lit his cigarette, serving to unnerve Faye even more. It was bad enough he was sitting in her living room smoking a cigarette when he was supposed to be six feet under, but did he have to be so damned casual about it? It was like he hadn't changed at all! It was like some horror flick where someone rises from the dead turning into a flesh-eating zombie. Not only was it a bit creepy, but it was really starting to get on her nerves!  
  
"So," she replied, a bit forcefully. "About the bounty again?"   
  
"Oh yeah," Spike replied absently, as if she had broken his chain of thought. Fancy that. "Like I was saying, it's a big job, so I was gonna need everyone's help if I was going to pull it off. You still do bounties don't you?"  
  
Faye was staring at one of her hands as if it was the most interesting thing she had ever seen. "Yeah, of course." she told him, turning her head back towards him. "How much is it worth?"  
  
"100 million."  
  
Faye whistled delicately, drawing Spike's attention to her lips. Red like a rose; red like blood… Spike shook his head slightly. "Yeah…" he murmured.  
  
"So, who is it?" she asked.   
  
"That's just it," Spike replied. "I don't know."  
  
Faye sat up, her full attention on him now. "You don't know?"  
  
The green haired bounty hunter shook his head. "Nope," he replied. "That's why I need Ed. She can pull up the information we need to nail this guy."  
  
"How do you even know about the bounty at all?"  
  
"The only thing I know is one, how much they're worth," Spike answered calmly. "And that we all have something in common with them."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Whoever this bounty is," Spike replied. "They have something in common with each of us - whether it's insignificant or not. We all know something about him or her - and the same goes for them."  
  
Faye folded her hands in her lap. Her brow furrowed deep in thought. "I see." she murmured.  
  
As she sat there, a pensive expression on her face, Spike took the opportunity to get a good look at her. Overall, she hadn't changed that much. She was the same height, same build. She looked a bit weary, but her green eyes held the same depth and passion they always had. Passion? Spike shook his head at that one.   
  
Like in the picture, Faye had toned down on the make-up a little bit, no longer looking like the hybrid cross between a china doll and a prostitute. Though her hair remained the same length, she had ditched the yellow headband, letting her dark violet hair hang loosely around her face. Occasionally, she would raise a hand to brush a few strands out of her face. The effort, however always proved to be in vain, as the strands would always return to their current position.   
  
It was almost kind of cute.  
  
Spike nearly smirked beside himself. Three years ago, he would have hardly thought to describe Faye Valentine as cute. He wasn't about to admit to her that he sometimes enjoyed seeing her run around in that skimpy yellow ensemble she had been so accustomed to, but it really didn't leave anything up to the imagination… so to speak. Nowadays, Faye resolved herself to wearing a large, loose fitting sweater with wide-legged jeans. A pair of black boots rested at the base of her chair. Glancing in the   
corner, Spike could see the old red jacket she always used to wear. He smiled thoughtfully.  
  
Faye lifted her head, glancing in Spike's direction. She was a bit unnerved to find that he was staring back at her, though rather than looking at her he seemed to be looking through her. It was as if he were looking inside of her. It made her nervous.  
  
She cleared her throat slightly, rising him out of his stupor. "So, let me get this straight," she replied evenly. "You want me, along with Jet and Ed, to help you catch a bounty. You know nothing about this bounty except that we know something about them and they know something about us."  
  
"Exactly." Spike answered.  
  
She scoffed slightly, holding a hand to her temple to ward off an oncoming migraine. "And you actually believe you can pull this off?"  
  
"Sure," he replied simply. "We've always managed before."  
  
"Yeah, well," Faye replied in a bitter tone. "Things are different now."  
  
Spike could clearly see that. Taking another drag of his cigarette, Spike rose from his seat, tossing the butt in an ashtray on a nearby coffee table. "Look, I don't really have a lot of time to waste, Faye," Frustration was starting show in his tone. "Are you going to help or not?"  
  
Faye stared at him blankly. As he turned to leave, she replied, "When do you start?"  
  
Spike stopped, turning to face her. "As soon as possible." he told her. "I've already contacted Ed and Jet."  
  
"And they both agreed?"  
  
"Ed did." he answered, watching her as she rose out of her seat slowly, still deliberating her decision. "She's supposed to touch down on Mars within the next few days."  
  
"And Jet?"  
  
"I haven't met face to face with Jet yet," Spike replied quietly. "He told me he'd join if I managed to get everyone. I told him I'd meet with him right after I saw you."  
  
"I see." Faye pulled off her sweater, revealing a black sleeveless blouse underneath. Tossing it back in her chair, she put on her red jacket, though she neglected to tie it at her waist like she used to. She grabbed her boots and her gun as she headed for the door only to stop and glance back at Spike.   
"Well," she replied. "What are we waiting for?"  
  
End of Chapter 1 


	3. 2 - Pretty With a Pistol

Cowboy Bebop  
That's Why They Call it the "Blues"  
A Miss Chang Po Production  
  
  
Chapter 2 - Pretty With a Pistol  
  
"Anything goes in this cosmic dare  
Anything goes so take care  
Did you hear my heartbeat to your lies?  
Listen close sweet love of mine"  
  
Faye Valentine's P.O.V -  
  
Ever had a knack for something you weren't really proud of? For instance, being able to belch the alphabet, or maybe play Twinkle, Twinkle little Star in your armpit? On second thought, I'm sure the people who possess that 'talent' are quite proud of it, so maybe those aren't really good   
examples.   
  
Perhaps, it's just best that I get straight to the point. I have a knack for getting into trouble. First off, through no fault of my own… as far as I know anyway, I woke up in a world as an 80-something-year-old in a 20 year-old's body owing a lot of money. With really no one to depend on, I fell sucker to the first con-man to come along - a bad one at that. The end result left me even deeper in hock than I had started out in. So, what's a helpless amnesiac to do?  
  
Living in a society to which I had knowledge of, there really wasn't anything I could do, sad to say. I didn't have a job, and I certainly didn't have any money. I couldn't take out a loan; I had no known relatives, I didn't known anyone, and I didn't have any credentials. Loan sharks were out of the question - I may have lost my memory, but I certainly wasn't stupid. So, I did something only a little less dumb - I started gambling at casinos.  
  
'Smooth move,' you might say, but at the time, it really didn't seem that bad of an idea. It's not like I had a criminal record - that I knew of. At the time, I had only the clothes on my back - a black party dress my dearly departed Whitney Matsumoto had purchased for me. The jerk had also put that on my tab, I later found out. Nevertheless, I could certainly blend in with the crowd, and with my looks and my luck, I could certainly earn a glance or two from some bigwig with a lot of cash to burn. You see, I did learn a thing or two from my good 'lawyer' friend.  
  
Well, everything started out fine, as they do in most cases. Being good with numbers, I had acquired quite the knack for cards, roulette, and any other game I stumbled upon. I won a lot of games, and lost a bit as well, always ending up back where I started. Knowing very well that I couldn't pay the debts I had accumulated during my escapades, I constantly traveled - casino-hopping if you will, thus   
earning the title of Poker Alice.  
  
I don't really care to retell my whole life story, simply because there really isn't that much to tell. Though I have been 'cured' of my amnesia, there are still a few gaps in my memory, for example, what accident caused me to be placed in a cryogenic sleep. But, I digress. The point of my story is this - just when I think I've managed to rid myself of my troubles, they always manage to find me again. Take for example, Spike Spiegel.  
  
Come on now, the man was supposed to be dead. Jet had given me this whole line of bull about tiger-striped cats and falling stars and crap. We waited around for a while, hoping against hope, but nothing happened. He never turned up. I pretty much put two and two together from there.   
  
After all, he had gone off, alone, to face his arch-rival, nemesis, whatever the hell you want to call it, Vicious. This guy, who I'm not embarrassed to confess, scared the crap out of me whenever saw, heard him, or heard anyone speak of him. I mean, come on, he was creepy! Nevertheless, Spike went off to face him, knowing full well that it was suicide. I told him so myself - at gunpoint.  
  
That was three years ago. I hadn't heard from Spike since. Assuming that he was dead, I decided to move on with my life, which was, mind you, extremely hard. Though I will never admit it to his face, not even on pain of death or torture, I considered Spike to be a close friend. I knew he couldn't be any more than that because of her, who I won't mention for obvious reasons.  
  
Now, just when I've pretty much managed to pick up the broken pieces and place them in some semblance of a life, guess who comes back?   
  
Damn him. Damn him to Hades.  
  
I wish I had shot him. I wish I had shot him that day - in the arm, leg, anywhere! Just to prevent him from going. Now he's managed to make a re-entrance back into my life, just the same as always; cocky, laid-back, annoyingly frustrating, devilishly/angelically handsome…Damn! Does he have any idea what he's doing to me?   
  
He probably does… the jerk. It seems everything he does is to spite me. He probably staged this whole death-rebirth crap just to see how I would react. Idiot... Did he expect me to go running into his arms, crying and sobbing at how happy I was to see him?   
  
Fat chance of that, pal. I've done enough of that in my life, and you can turn over and die before you get a single tear out of me. Though I'm Faye Valentine, I'm not the same woman you knew. I refuse to be affected by you anymore.  
  
=====  
  
And yet… even as I think all of this, I can't help but watch Spike. We're both in the elevator going down to the first floor of my apartment building. He stands there with that same demeanor he always did. Standing there like he doesn't have a care in the world - how does he pull it off?  
  
He turns to me now, looking at me as if he's trying to read my thoughts. I'd try to shield them if I could, but somehow Spike always seems to know what I'm thinking about, whether he shows it or not.  
  
He's still not talking, and it's making me nervous. "What is it?" I ask irritably. I wish he'd stop doing that - or at least show me how to do it so I could do it to him.  
  
"Nothing," he says, glancing back at the elevator doors with a smile on his face. Seemingly interested in the lights indicating which floor we're on; it doesn't take much, does it? "I'm just glad you decided to come along."  
  
Shrugging, I reply nonchalantly, "I need the money."  
  
He laughs, shrugging his shoulders slightly. I resist the urge to shudder - so many times had I heard that same laugh echoing through the halls of the Bebop at night in my dreams and even when I was wide awake. "So do I." He turns his smile back towards me. "It wouldn't have been fun without you."  
  
Before I can even think of a response, the elevator 'dings' and the metal doors slide open. I find that I'm a bit relieved - whatever I said would have come out wrong anyway. The two of us shuffle out quickly, entering the lobby.  
  
Spike stops suddenly, scanning the street outside, a frown making its way across his features. Slowly, I reach into my jacket, my hand resting securely on my gun. "What is it?" I whisper, edging close to him so that no one can hear us.  
  
Spike turns towards me, though his eyes are still on the street. The frown remains. It makes me a bit nervous. His arm snaking around my waist to make us less conspicuous doesn't help matters either.   
  
"Spike?"  
  
He focuses his eyes on me, a lazy grin forming on his face. "My cab left." he replies.  
  
You could have knocked me over with a feather. "What?" I blink dumbly.  
  
"I took a cab here," Spike says. "I asked the driver to wait while I went upstairs." He scratches the back of his head with his free hand. "Guess he got tired of waiting… though it's his loss; I hadn't paid him yet."  
  
Jack ass. I shove away from him angrily. "You idiot," I mutter. "You mean to tell me you have no transportation?"  
  
"Look, it's not look I can hop in the Swordfish and fly over," Spike says, I assume, a little put off by my attitude. Well, he's gonna have to deal with it. "Besides, even if I did have it, it only seats one."  
  
I sigh heavily. "I see." Detaching myself from his hold, I make my way back towards the elevator.   
  
"Where're you going?" he asks.  
  
"To the garage." I answer simply. "Wait here while I pull around front. We can't very well walk, now can we?"   
  
The doors close before he can respond.  
  
=====  
  
We're traveling down the highway now, towards the spaceport. Spike says the Bebop touched down there yesterday for supplies and will remain approximately 72 hours before heading into space again.   
  
"Ah-huh," I say, keeping my focus on the road. It's been a while since I've been out driving like this. I'll admit having the wind blow through my hair helps relieve a bit of tension. It's second only to flying in space, though I haven't been out in space for a very long time... for reasons I care not to dwell on.  
  
A thick silence hangs over us before Spike speaks again. "So, tell me, Faye," I glance over at him out of the corner of my eye. He's made himself quite comfortable, his seat reclined, his arms folded behind his head as he watches the red clouds roll by overhead. "How's life been treating you?"  
  
I blink. Does he really want to know? "Fine, I guess…" I say, a bit unsure.   
  
I can feel his gaze on me, curious. "What've you been up to?" he asks.  
  
"Nothing really," I answer. "Just getting by."  
  
"You have a job, right?"  
  
"Of course I have a job," I answer as I glare over at him, obviously offended. "Did you think I was just some dumb squatter mooching off of my roommate?"  
  
Spike raises an eyebrow at me, obviously remembering my roommate's sexual preference. Like that has something to do with it - which it doesn't. "Of course not." he answers calmly. "And keep your eyes on the road."  
  
I turn my attention back towards the highway just in time to miss hitting a road sign. As I swerve back into my lane, he chuckles.   
  
Jerk.   
  
"If you really have to know," I begin.  
  
"I do." he interrupts, amusement still in his tone.  
  
"I work for the part-time IPPCS." I finish. "The rest of the time I hunt bounties that pop  
up in my general area-"  
  
"You work for the ISSP?" he interrupts, not really listening.  
  
"No," I reply, slightly frustrated. "The IPPCS… the Institute for Patients with Post Cryogenic-freeze Syndrome."  
  
Spike remains quiet for sometime. "There's a disease for that?" he asks finally.  
  
"Not really," I answer. "The institute's main focus is reintroducing victims back into society. Whether it's been 2 years or twenty, the institute makes sure their patients are resettled with a basic understanding of what's happened to them and how they can go about living their lives." I unconsciously tighten my grip on the steering wheel. It seems I'm a little anxious to hear what he has to say. But why should it matter to me what he thinks?  
  
"That's something you didn't get," Spike replies quietly. I only nod. "That's good of you to do that though," He replies. "Very noble."  
  
"Yeah," I agree quietly. The rest of the ride continues in silence, the two of us occasionally sneaking glances at each other when we thought the other wasn't looking. I acted with indifference the entire ride, Spike with no care at all, trying to piss me of no doubt.  
  
Still, in the end, I probably wouldn't have had it any other way.  
  
End of Chapter 2 


	4. 3 - Blind

Cowboy Bebop  
That's Why They Call it the Blues  
  
Chapter 3 - Blind  
"Now it seems you've got a different dream  
Thanks for including me  
You smell things so differently"  
  
Once Faye and Spike reached the spaceport, finding the Bebop was not a difficult task. The old ship stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the classier, more expensive ships in that particular part of the port.  
Spike chuckled to himself. "I wonder where Jet got the money to get such a nice dock." he mused.  
"We did manage to catch some pretty decent bounties," Faye answered absently. "Though Jet was always stingy with the money… it is a wonder he picked this particular dock." She stared at the ship for a while before glancing up at Spike, who's focus, once again, was on her. "What?" she asked.  
"You went back to the Bebop?" he asked quietly.  
"Yeah," Faye answered. "I mean, where else was I going to go? I only stuck around for a year or two though. After a while, we just went our separate ways. It got too weird."  
"What, you two had a thing or something?" Spike joked. The murderous look she gave him suggested otherwise.  
"Can we get this over with?" she said, quickly marching towards the ship hangar.  
Spike sighed in defeat, following behind her. There was just no talking to some people…  
  
=====  
  
Stepping into the hangar cautiously, Faye let her eyes roam around. It had been so long since she had stepped foot on the Bebop, and memories that were both good and bad came rushing back towards her.  
Spike had just finished his own little inspection of the hangar. Jet still kept his ship in tip-top shape; he shouldn't really have expected otherwise though. Turning his attention to Faye, he noticed that she was standing between the Red Tail and the Swordfish II, though he couldn't tell which one her attention was focused on. He smirked slightly; Faye's car was the exact same color as the old racer.  
"And you're sure he knows you're coming?" she was asking.  
"Yeah," Spike answered. "Though he doesn't know it's me."  
Faye turned back to look at him. "What are you talking about?"  
"I told you already," he replied. "I didn't meet with Jet face to face. I sent him an e-mail under the name Skip Pliegees."  
Faye blinked. "What kind of name is that?"  
"What kind of name is Macy?" he countered. Faye gave him a dirty look. "But anyway, I just rearranged the letters in my name."  
Faye sighed. "Idiot." Spike just grinned and shrugged. "Why the cover-up?"  
Spike shrugged again. "I didn't know how he'd take it, so I just told him I'd meet up with him after I contacted you and Ed." he answered. "Though, I didn't expect I'd get held at your place."  
"Well forgive me for not just following you like some loyal lapdog," Faye replied. "What'd you expect me to do?"  
Spike frowned slightly. "I certainly didn't expect you to point a gun to my head. You really have a tendency to do that."  
"You're lucky that's all I do. One of these days I might actually pull the trigger."  
"Please. You don't have the balls to go through with it."  
"As far as I'm concerned, neither do you."  
"What the hell is going on in here?" The two bounty hunters looked up to see none other than Jet Black standing in front of them with a pissed off look on his face. After all, they were trespassing.  
Faye stepped out of the shadow of the Red Tail. "Jet," she said. "It's me, Faye!"  
Jet blinked in surprise, looking her over. "Are you sure?" he asked. She shot him a dirty look, eliciting a laugh from him. "Yup, you're Faye Valentine all right. Damn, girl, what happened to you?"  
Faye laughed. "I grew up, I guess."  
The old ex-cop smiled, patting her on the back in a friendly gesture. "Not too shabby. At least you're not going to get stopped on the corner anymore." Faye's face turned purple. "Well, I guess we finally know the answer to the riddle."  
Faye quirked an eyebrow slightly. "Riddle?"  
"How many woolongs would it take to get Faye back on the Bebop?"  
"Shut up, you old turkey," Faye smirked. "If I recall correctly, it was you who said you wouldn't pay me to go back into space with you."  
Jet looked slightly flushed. "So it was," he admitted, abashed. "Well, things change."  
"They do, indeed." Jet looked up as Spike stepped forward, resting an elbow on Faye's shoulder, earning a low growl from her.   
Jet's eyes widened in shock. "Spike…?"  
The green-haired bounty hunter smirked, raising his free hand in greeting. "Yo."  
  
=====  
  
After the three bounty hunters entered the bowels of the Bebop, Spike split off from the others, saying something about seeing if his room was 'still intact'. Jet and Faye continued on to the living room where Jet plopped down in a chair, still stunned.  
Faye glanced around the room; all the chairs had been replaced except the old yellow couch. She sat down as far away from it as possible.   
Jet let out a heavy sigh, clamping his cybernetic hand over his eyes. "So that was Spike, eh?"  
"Yup." She propped her feet up on the edge of the chair, hugging her knees slightly. "That was Spike Spiegel."  
"Well, I'll be damned," he muttered. "I thought for sure he was dead."  
Faye snorted slightly. "You and me both." she muttered. "Imagine how I must've felt finding him at my door this morning."  
Jet sat up, casting her a serious look. "How ya handling it?" he asked.  
She remained quiet for some time before speaking. "Okay, I guess," she lied. In truth, she still couldn't believe it.  
"You know, you don't have to do this if you don't want to."   
Faye looked over at Jet, his expression hadn't changed but she could still see a bit of concern hidden in his eyes. Though neither of the two would ever admit to it, they had become close friends after Spike's death. It had been tough at first, their personalities and tempers constantly clashing, but after a while, they managed to continue on with the surrogate family the crew had formed before everyone split up.  
"No, it's all right, Jet." she finally replied. "It's better this way." Jet nodded slightly in understanding. "Besides, I need the money."  
Spike entered the room and started to speak when he saw Jet rise and sit down next to Faye. He decided to remain quiet and stay where he was.  
"You making out all right?" he heard Jet ask.  
Faye chuckled. "Yes, Dad," she drawled. "Though I have to admit, with the bounties getting thin, working pro bono for IPPCS isn't a walk in the park."  
"I told you working just Mars wasn't gonna cut it," Jet said with an 'I told you so' smirk. "You need to go back out into space."  
Spike noted that Faye suddenly became quiet. "I'm going with you guys aren't I?"  
"Yeah," Jet replied. "But that's only because Spike--"  
"It's not because of Spike!" Faye interrupted, standing up. Spike frowned in curiosity. "I told you already that I needed the money."  
It seemed Jet knew Faye well enough to know that she didn't want to discuss the matter any further, so he dropped the subject. "Suit yourself." he replied, as he began fishing a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket.  
Faye nodded in return. "I'm gonna head back to my apartment," she replied softly. "Get a few things packed, you know… all that stuff." Jet nodded. "Uhm, I'll be back in a few hours."  
"I'll be here." Jet called after her.  
Seemingly catching the double meaning, Faye stopped and smiled slightly before heading off. She walked a few yards before coming across Spike, who had been listening to whole time.  
"Hey," he replied.  
Faye jumped slightly, startled. "Uh, yeah," she murmured before continuing on her way. Spike could only stare at her back, wondering what was eating her.  
  
======  
  
"Here."   
Jet looked up to see an open lighter being held to the cigarette hanging from his mouth. He was a bit startled at first - not used to seeing the green haired bounty hunter, but accepted the offer nonetheless, taking a few short puffs after his cigarette had been lit. "Thanks."  
Spike plopped down on the old yellow couch, absently noting the thin layer of dust that rested upon it. It disturbed him slightly to think that no one had sat on this couch in three years.  
"I really am here you know." he replied, noting the look of disbelief Jet was giving him. "I didn't think I'd be getting this routine from you too, Jet."  
The ex-cop grunted, puffing at his cigarette in agitation. "What did you expect me to do?" he asked.  
"Whatever you want," Spike replied. "Just don't pull a gun on me, okay? I've had enough of that for one day."  
Jet stared at him for a few moments before breaking out into laughter. "So, the shrew woman threatened to shoot you?" he asked, wiping invisible tears from his eyes as his gales of laughter began to subside.  
"Nah," Spike replied, taking another cigarette out of his pocket and placing it between his lips. He fumbled around, searching for his lighter. "She just sorta waved it in my face while she yelled at me."  
"Yelled at you?" Jet repeated. "About what?"  
Realizing his lighter was sitting on the table where he had left it, Spike flicked it open, leaning forward to let the tiny flames dance over the end of the cigarette. As the embers formed on the end, Spike turned his attention back towards Jet. "Basically about how shitty her life was," he mumbled. "And how there was no way in Hell she'd help me."  
Jet chuckled wryly. "And yet she came with you anyway?"  
"Yeah well," Spike leaned back, letting his arms hang over the back of the couch. "She said she needed the money."  
"Well, living on Mars ain't exactly easy." Jet replied, watching the spirals of smoke rise into the air. "You of all people should know that." Spike didn't reply. "So," Jet continued on,   
"Where've you been all this time?"  
"Around."  
Okay. Time to try a different angle. "What made you decide to come back after all this time?"  
Spike didn't answer that one either. Instead, he countered with, "What's up with you and Faye?"  
Jet knew Spike would try to change the subject, but he hadn't expected him to turn the tables on him like that. He blinked. "Huh?"  
"Faye had gone to Earth." Spike replied, staring up at the ceiling. "She only came back when I told her the Bebop was in trouble."  
"Yeah, so?"   
Spike's expression was pensive, almost as if he were trying to piece together bits of information, coming to his own conclusions before he even thought to ask the question. "Why'd she stick around?"  
Jet snorted lightly, flicking the dead embers of his cigarette into the ashtray. "Your guess is as good as mine." he replied. "I stop trying to figure her out years ago. I'm surprised you haven't given it up yet."  
"I wasn't trying to do anything," Spike replied brusquely. "She wouldn't tell me, so I was just curious."  
"Ah-huh…"  
Spike stood up, glancing at his watch. "Ed should be here either tomorrow or the day after." he replied absently. "We can get started when she gets here."  
"And where're you off to now?" Jet asked, a curious yet amused expression on his face.  
"Out." came the reply. "I'll be back in a few." The lanky bounty hunter disappeared through the exit hatch.  
Jet put out his cigarette, chuckling lightly to himself. It'd been a long time since he'd felt this good - things were finally starting to get back to normal.  
  
End of Chapter 3 


	5. 4 - Words That We Couldn't Say

Chapter 4 - Words That We Couldn't Say  
"Funny ain't it  
Games people play  
Scratch it, paint it  
One in the same"  
  
Jet Black's P.O.V -  
  
Have you ever looked back on your life and wondered, 'Damn,  
when did things get to be so complicated?' If you have, then you're   
certainly not alone. That's something I find myself to be doing, almost   
every single day. Granted, it didn't always used to be this way. In fact,   
I lived a pretty normal, somewhat fulfilling life. I had a steady job, was in   
a pretty decent relationship, too. Everything had been fine. Then things   
had to go and get ugly.  
  
I never expected anything spectacular out of being a cop. I was perfectly   
aware of the hazards involved in my line of duty. Working for the ISSP   
wasn't a luxury. You didn't get rewarded for being a hero. There were all   
types of low-lives walking around all over the galaxy - you could pretty   
much expect to die any day of the week. Still, it was my job and I was   
proud of it - for a time.  
  
I'm a proud man; or at least I was when I was a cop. To 'protect and serve'   
was my job and I took it very seriously. I guess I could've been considered   
a bit naïve - to me there were perps and their victims. I didn't realize that   
there was a gray area between good and bad. Well, I sure as hell learned   
it the hard way. My left arm is proof enough of that.  
  
It came as a shock to realize some of the bad guys were standing on the   
same side of the law as I did. These people, who were supposed to uphold   
the law were merely hiding behind it, bending it, misusing, and sometimes   
downright ignoring it just to suit their own selfish needs. Jerks like those   
make me sick. That's why I quit.  
  
At this point, my life sucked. My girlfriend had left me, for reasons   
unknown to me at that particular time. I had quit the service, not without   
earning a few enemies of course. So, with no girlfriend and no job, what   
was an ex-lawman to do to not only survive, but keep his sanity?  
  
Bounty hunting.  
  
The solution might seem weird to you, but it was perfect for me. I may   
have well said fly-fishing, or professional wrestling. Ex-ISSP officer might   
have looked good on somebody else's resume, but not on mine - especially   
after the fuss I stirred up before I left. So, using up a good deal of my   
pension, I bought a ship, dubbing it the Bebop for reasons I can't really   
remember. With the skills that had earned me the nickname Black Dog, I   
took it upon myself to pursue my career of a Bounty hunter. That's when   
I met Spike.  
  
Despite what you might think, things didn't really get weird until the number   
Bebop's crew started to increase. I won't lie; working with Spike could be   
bizarre - he seemed so laid-back, just watching the world pass him by. It   
was almost like he didn't care whether he lived or died. There were even   
times that with the stunts he often pulled, I thought the kid was perpetually   
stoned!   
  
There really isn't much I can say about Spike simply because there's a lot   
about him I don't know. I'll admit I was a bit suspicious of him, being that   
he was an ex-Syndicate member and all, but he seemed harmless enough,   
so I didn't make a fuss. He's a pretty easy-going guy, but there were times   
that trying to get to know him was just frustrating. The guy was just so   
cryptic! So, for the most part, I pretty much left him alone. After all, why   
poke around in someone else's business when you're trying to guard your   
own?   
  
So, respecting each other's privacy, we actually came to be good friends -  
not that either of us would ever admit it.  
  
Even when Ein came around, things managed to stay pretty much   
normal. Only when the women decided to come aboard did things   
start to get funky. I mean, after all, Spike nearly had his head blown off   
that time he walked in on Faye in the shower. Still, despite all the troubles   
they brought along with them, Faye and Edward managed to be useful -   
most of the time. Ed was pretty handy with a computer (she was a   
hacker after all) and though a bit weird, she brought a little color to the   
ship with her fiery red hair and amber eyes, not to mention her singing and   
bizarre mannerisms. Faye, though a terrible gambler, was a pretty good   
bounty huntress; she could hold her own in a fight, and possessed   
excellent marksmanship. Not only that, but she kept Spike from getting   
himself killed - most of the time.  
  
======  
  
The whole thing had happened in such a rush; getting shot in the leg, the   
Bebop getting totaled, Spike's 'death'. Now that I think about it, I really   
didn't have time to react to anything. We got sidetracked on Earth, Ed   
left with Ein, Faye left and then came back, and we somehow managed to   
get mixed up with the Syndicate. In the end, all I was left with was an   
injured leg, a busted ship, and one Faye Valentine.  
  
I remember her, sitting on the yellow couch with her back facing me as I   
entered the ship. I was surprised to find that she was still aboard the ship,   
almost as surprised as she was to find me empty-handed. After all, I had   
always dragged Spike back to Bebop bandaged and beat up after one of   
his solo escapades. Not this time, though.  
  
"So, that's it then," she replied, not really looking at me. "That's the end."  
  
Not really in the mood for one of her dramatic spiels, I gave her a scowl.   
"What are you talking about?"  
  
She sat there, not moving. Her shoulders were hunched slightly and her   
expression was somewhat blank. It really bothered me. "The end," she   
repeated herself. "The end of the story."  
  
I raised an eyebrow at her. "What story?"  
  
She looked up at me sorrowfully. "The story of the tiger-striped cat." I   
noticed that her hands were clenched tightly in her lap. "He won't come   
back again."  
  
It wasn't really a question. "No, he won't." Even as I said it, I still couldn't   
believe it. How could he be dead? It just didn't seem right; it had to be   
impossible.  
  
Faye rose from her seat, an incredulous look upon her face. "That's all   
you're going to say?" she asked. "You don't care?"  
  
Oh, no, she didn't have the right to pull this self-righteous crap on me. "It   
was his own damn fault," I told her, avoiding her disbelieving stare. "I told   
him not to go. If you wanted him to stay so badly, you should've shot'im   
while you had the chance!"  
  
Something in her snapped then. Why else would she jump over the couch   
and try to hit me? "You son of a--" I caught her hand before she could   
connect. "You heartless asshole!" she screamed at me. "How could you   
be so damned cold? Don't you get it? Spike's dead!"  
  
"I know he's dead!" I roared at her, startling her slightly. "He's dead   
because he's the only one who didn't know how to follow orders! He   
couldn't keep his temper in check! He didn't know how to let go - so he's   
dead and I'm out a partner."  
  
A partner? Damn, I was such a coward.  
  
"Just a partner?" Faye repeated. "Jet, he was your friend!"  
  
"What the hell do you know?" I snarled back. "You forced your way in   
here! What made you think you had the God-given right to say anything?   
Nobody asked you!"  
  
I guess I must've hit a sore spot because that shut her right up.  
  
"So, you want me to leave?" she asked quietly.  
  
I didn't know what to say to that one. Granted, we hadn't always got along,   
but I didn't hate the girl. Besides, I had a pretty good idea of what her   
current situation was. If she left here, she had no place to go.  
  
She glanced down at my robotic arm, which was still clamped around her   
wrist. "You're hurting me," she said quietly.   
  
I let go of her, noticing the slight bruise forming around her wrist. "Sorry,"   
I grumbled.  
  
"I probably deserve it," I blinked in surprise. Her head was lowered as she   
spoke, staring at her feet. "I know I've never been exactly welcome   
here… and I haven't really shown any appreciation for what you've done   
for me…" She looked up at me, her green eyes suddenly glassy. "And I'm   
sorry." She looked as though the world had just ended. "Thanks, Jet."  
  
In reality, I think it was her world that had ended. It was that exact   
moment that I finally began to understand who Faye Valentine really was.   
I'm not going to do some whole psychoanalysis on her because that would   
be stupid. Granted, she had her secrets, but it wasn't hard to figure out   
what bothered her. The only reason she seemed so mysterious was   
because no one had ever really cared enough to try and figure her out.   
In truth, she's really not that hard to understand, once you get past her mask.  
  
Oh, yes, Faye wore a mask - I'm not just talking about all that makeup   
either. Come to think about, Spike wore a mask, and Ed did as well.   
All four of us had had to deal with a lot of crap in the past, and were still   
trying to come to grips with it - Faye with her past, Ed with her father,   
Spike with his Julia, and me with my arm. The funny thing is that for the   
brief time we spent together on this old ship, all that stuff didn't seem to   
matter. Throw in Ein, Faye and Spike arguing, my bad cooking, and Ed   
running around with her Tomato, we were almost like a family. Quite   
laughable, isn't it?  
  
I looked up at Faye, who was making her way towards her room. I   
realized that I needed a family - or as close as the two of us could get to   
one - as much as she did. After all, becoming partners with Spike hadn't   
been that hard, why should Faye be any different?  
  
"Hey, Faye," I murmured, feeling ridiculous for even suggesting such a   
thing. "You can stay if you want to."  
  
She stopped, but didn't turn to face me. "Really?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah," I answered. "But, only if you want to. I mean, I'm not going force   
you, 'cuz it makes no difference to me…" I trailed off, hearing her start to   
giggle. It sorted reminded me of that little girl we all saw on that Beta tape.   
It was still hard to believe that they were the same person.  
  
Or at least it had been. Faye turned to me, tears rimming her eyes as she   
looked up at me with one of the most sincere smiles I've ever seen.   
"Thanks, Jet," she replied. "I really mean it."  
  
End of Chapter 4 


	6. 5 - Papercut

Chapter 5 - Paper cut  
"Why does it feel like night today?  
Something in here's not right today  
Why am I so uptight today?  
Paranoia's all I got left"  
  
  
Location - EARTH, somewhere in the area once known as the United   
States of America. It is widely known that after the Gate Incident, many   
of Earth's residents left the planet, unable to withstand its hazardous living   
conditions. The defective gate's destruction destroyed part of the Earth's   
moon, causing its debris to fall to the Earth in the form of meteorites.   
  
Those who remain on the Earth consist of hackers, the poor, nut jobs, and   
criminals. The hackers put to use Earth's satellite probes to hone their skills.   
The impoverished, too poor to leave the planet in search of better living   
conditions remain in small clustered cities, trying to make the best of a bad   
situation. The insane, due to the fact that they don't have the common sense   
to leave hover around cities and can sometimes be found hiding out in caves   
and ruins of old cities. Last but not least are the criminals - low-lives, bounty   
heads, and the basic scum of the earth - those who take advantage of Earth's   
vastness to hide out from the law.  
  
=====  
  
"Look, pal," a sleazy looking hustler/sales clerk, complete with oily skin and   
greasy hair, stood behind the counter of his store. The establishment itself was   
fashioned out of the remains of an old aircraft carrier.  
  
His current customer, a sleek young man in a brown trench coat and black   
shades, addressed him curtly; "I'm not your pal." His voice was gentle and   
alluring, almost making you feel safe and secure… Almost.  
  
The clerk adjusted his collar, feeling slightly intimidated. "Yeah," he replied.   
"Like I was saying, what you see is what I got."  
  
"Hmm," The man eyed the wall behind him, silently appraising the items   
contained within the room. "I guess they'll have to do." He placed a large wad   
of cash on the counter. "Give me the best of whatever you've got."  
  
"Hey now," the clerk replied. "You can't just slap a few woolongs in my face   
and expect me to just hand you any type of merchandise you want." The man   
raised an eyebrow at him. "This is Earth, in case you've forgotten. There's   
certain ways you have to--"  
  
--Click!-- The clerk swallowed, feeling the cold steel of a gun being pressed   
against his Adam's apple. Beads of sweat began rolling down his forehead   
as he looked up at the man apprehensively.  
  
"I know exactly where I am," the man told him. "And I know exactly what I  
want. I don't need someone like you trying to tell me what to do. It isn't   
healthy." He raised the gun to the point where it was directly between the   
clerk's eyes. "So, don't tell me how to do my job, and I won't tell you how   
to do yours. Are we clear?"  
  
The clerk nodded, quickly handing over the desired merchandise. "H-here   
you go, sir." he stammered.  
  
The man smiled a frighteningly dazzling smile. "Thank you." he replied, as   
he headed towards the door. He stopped, however before he reached the   
exit, turning to face the clerk again.  
  
A scream and several shots rang out before all was silent again.  
  
=====  
  
The sound of glass shattering rang throughout the apartment followed by a   
loud "Shit!"  
  
Faye stared down in frustration at the remains of a glass jar at her feet. She   
had been trying to pack a last few remaining items into a cardboard box while   
balancing it on her hip when she bumped into the kitchen table, knocking a   
jelly jar to the floor. It was a good thing the jar was empty, or she would have   
hand one hell of a time trying to clean grape jelly out of the fresh cut on her   
hand.  
  
'And it's a damn good one, too,' she thought to herself, wincing while   
observing the injury as she sat the box down on the table. She had tried   
picking up one of the broken shards, serving only to earn herself an inch-wide,   
centimeter-deep laceration on the palm of her hand. It hurt like hell. She   
rushed to the sink to rinse the blood off of her hand.  
  
"Val? You in here, Valentine?"   
Faye looked up to see a young man in his late twenties walk into the room   
carrying a bag of groceries. He had light brown hair and grayish-green eyes. It   
was the man from her picture. "Oh, hey, Macy," she replied. "You're back soon.   
Is your mom okay?"  
  
Macy Caldor frowned, striding into the kitchen. "She's fine," he replied wryly.   
"It turns out the old woman was only faking so she could drag me all the way   
out to Venus to gripe about how I don't return her phone calls."  
  
Faye smiled slightly, gently rinsing the disinfectant soap from her hands. "You   
should call her more often," she said.  
  
"Yeah well…" Macy grumbled, stopping when he noticed the shards of glass   
on the floor. "Break something?"  
  
"Yeah," Faye answered sheepishly. "A jelly jar. Don't worry, I'll clean it up."  
  
"Grape, huh? We were all out weren't we?" Faye nodded. "Good, 'cuz I bought   
some more. You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"  
  
"Not too badly," Faye lied, fetching the first-aid kit.  
  
"Uh huh," Macy sat the grocery bag down on the table, only to notice the large cardboard box   
already there. He had noticed two more by the door next a duffel bag. "Taking   
a trip?" he asked.  
  
Faye came back into the room, rooting through the kit for some bandages.   
"Yeah," she replied as Macy took the box from her. He glanced at the   
deepness of her cut, but didn't say anything, setting about the task of   
bandaging it. "A bounty came up. A big one."  
  
"Cool," he replied. "Guess you won't be so stingy now when it's your turn to   
do the groceries." Faye swatted him with her good hand. "But seriously, you   
look like you're heading to space with all that junk you've got packed."  
  
Faye got quiet. "I am."  
  
"Really?" Macy's look of surprise quickly changed into a serious one. "I   
thought you said you weren't going back… after what happened."  
  
"I know," Faye replied, fidgeting with a loose thread on her jacket. "Things   
changed."  
  
"I see."  
  
"Hey, Macy?"  
  
Faye noted the small thread she was toying with suddenly became longer.   
"You know that guy I told you about," she replied. "The one I used to hunt   
bounties with?"  
  
"You mean Jet?" Macy asked, his eyes lighting up. "How's he doing? He   
hasn't been by here in ages. You should invite him back again some time."   
Faye frowned at him. "Oh, you weren't talking about him, were you? You   
mean the other one… uh, what was his name?"  
  
Faye's frown lessened slightly. "Spike."  
  
"Yeah, that's right. I was thinking Knife, or Stick… something like that," Macy   
looked up at Faye, noting the expression on her face. "You're not still grieving   
over him, are you? It's been how long?"  
  
Faye sighed. "He's not dead, Macy." she replied. "The ass came here this   
morning."  
  
Macy blinked in surprise. "He didn't hurt you, did he?" he asked.  
  
Faye blinked. "Uh, no." she answered.  
  
"Oh, good." There was a slight pause. "Is he cute?"  
  
"Macy!" Faye gritted her teeth in frustration.  
  
"Calm it down, Val," Macy laughed, tickled by the jealous expression on her   
face. "I was kidding!" Faye did as asked, putting down the rolled up newspaper   
she had been waving threateningly. "Well, I guess you got to get going, right?"  
  
"Yeah," Faye answered. "Jet will have a fit if I keep him waiting too long." She   
laughed a little. "He reminds me of somebody's dad sometimes."  
  
Macy nodded. "You be careful." he told her.  
  
"Of course," she replied, observing her bandaged hand. "I always am." She   
tossed him a grateful smirk. "But this time, Macy, wait a couple weeks before   
you start posting openings for a new roommate on the Web."  
  
Macy grinned cheekily before kissing her on the cheek. "You got it," he replied,   
ruffling her hair slightly. "Need help with those boxes?"  
  
Faye already had one in her arms, heading for the door. "Nah, I've got it." she   
replied. "Thanks anyway."  
  
"See ya around." he told her. As the door closed, Macy had a feeling it would   
be a long while before he saw Faye again. He could only hope that things turned   
out for the best for her.   
  
=====  
  
"What'll be, buddy?"  
  
"Hm?" Spike looked up absently at the bartender in front of him. "Oh, the s  
trongest of whatever you've got."  
  
"Ah, I gotcha." The bartender looked him over, almost as if he could identify his   
exact problem. Spike really hated when people did that. "Coming right up." he   
told him. "Don't you worry, buddy. This won't solve yer problems, but it'll make   
ya feel a helluva lot better."  
  
Spike smirked. 'Like he has any clue,' he told himself, all the while knowing he   
wasn't really sure what was bothering him either. Granted, it had been awhile   
since he had been back on the Bebop with its crew, but that shouldn't bother him.   
After all, he had been looking forward to it for some time. Why should he be   
having doubts now?  
  
'Doubts?' Spike rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a sigh. 'Nah, that's not   
it.' He closed his eyes, trying to sort out his thoughts. If it wasn't doubt that was bothering him, then what was it?  
  
"Where are you going? Why are you going?"  
  
Spike flinched, memories of that day coming back to him. He sighed heavily,   
taking a swig of the drink the bartender had placed before him. It seemed that his thoughts kept wandering back to events in the past.  
  
'Back to Faye the shrew is more like it,' he thought dryly to himself, although   
deep down he really didn't seem to mind.  
  
"Since when has the great Spike Spiegel needed the help of me - Faye   
Valentine; Faye the bitch, the shrew woman?"  
  
Boy, had she been pissed. Spike smirked to himself. It was nice to know   
that Faye hadn't lost her 'charming' personality. Though she seemed to have   
changed a great deal, it made Spike feel good to know that some things had   
remained the same.  
  
Or had they?   
  
"No, you just had to screw it all to Hell, didn't you?"  
  
Spike placed his empty glass down on the counter, ordering another drink.   
It suddenly dawned on him what was bothering him. Somehow, through means   
he was not exactly sure of, Spike had managed to ruin Faye's life.   
  
He had told her that the past didn't matter, and for a time, it seemed as though   
she had believed him. However, he went and proved himself to be a hypocrite   
when he left to face Vicious.  
  
"Why are you going?"  
  
She had wanted him to stay - with her - with the Bebop. Spike nearly choked   
on the bitter liquid going down his throat. Faye Valentine had actually cared   
about him. To what extent, he wasn't sure, but he knew it was enough to not   
want him to die. He rubbed at his temples, warding away an oncoming   
headache. If he had asked her, Spike was almost positive that Faye   
would have gone with him - Jet as well. Still, he was too proud. Not only   
did he feel that taking on Vicious was his responsibility, but he also didn't   
want to put them in danger. They were his family after all.  
  
"My -family-?" he wondered aloud, staring at the glass in front of him. He   
glanced up at the bartender. "What is this stuff?"  
  
The bartender, a graying old fellow similar to the ones you might see in the   
movies, glanced up from the martini he was mixing. "You asked for the   
strongest in the house, right?" he asked, smirking slightly. "What you got   
there is Arubian Moonshine… any stronger and they'd be using that stuff for   
rocket fuel." He chuckled lightly to himself. "I wouldn't drink too much more   
of that though - instead of having to worry about a hangover, you'll hafta worry   
about trying to remember what you did before you passed out. I heard one   
guy drank half a bottle of that stuff - caught himself 4 bounties and then   
passed out. Didn't wake up for two whole weeks."  
  
Spike smirked thoughtfully, sniffing the liquid before him. He then shrugged   
and took another swig, feeling the beginnings of a light buzz.   
  
'No hangovers, huh?' Spike could remember occasions on which he would   
come back to the Bebop, smashed beyond belief. Faye would go out of her   
way to increase the severity of his brain-numbing migraines by yelling at the top   
of her lungs, or banging things around loudly. The end result would always be an argument - following his passing out on the couch.  
  
Spike sighed once again. Something told him that this new Faye would not go   
out of her way to make his life miserable - as he had so enjoyed doing to her. In   
fact, it seemed to Spike that Faye was now scared of him, and maybe a little   
pissed at him. If he wasn't careful, she'd probably end up hating him.  
  
Now he couldn't have that. As much as he teased and aggravated Faye in the   
past, he had never imagined her hating him. He knew he had hurt her by leaving,   
but judging by the way that she had pointed a gun to his head, Spike had never expected Faye to not want to see him again.   
He didn't think he'd be able to handle that.  
  
'Whoa…' Spike set his half-empty glass back down on the counter. Where   
had his thoughts gotten him? Suddenly he found that he wasn't all that thirsty   
anymore. Setting a few woolongs down on the table, Spike left the bar, heading   
back to the Bebop.  
  
=====  
  
When Spike entered the ship, there wasn't a soul in sight. Figuring everyone   
had turned in for the night, Spike resolved himself to take a shower and then turn   
in as well. However, when he went to enter the bathroom, he was met with quite a sight.  
  
He felt like one of those slack-jawed, bug-eyed cartoon characters. Standing in   
the open doorway was Faye, wrapped in only a medium sized towel. Steam from   
the shower wafted around her and water dripped from her hair and shoulders,   
running down her body in little rivulets.  
  
"Spike!" she exclaimed, her towel nearly slipping from her grasp. She felt the temperature rise in her face. Why was he staring at her like that?  
  
"Hm?" he replied, forcing himself out of his stupor.  
  
Faye averted her gaze, fearing her face was red as a tomato. "N-nothing," she   
said quickly. "I was just surprised to see you, that's all. I thought you were   
still out."  
  
"Yeah," Spike answered, clearing his throat. "I just got back in though." 'For   
crying out loud, man, stop staring.'  
  
"I see," 'Why is he still staring at me?'  
  
Spike cleared his throat again, glancing away as he rubbed the back of his   
neck. "Um, sorry." he murmured.  
  
Faye blinked, looking up at him. "For what?"  
  
"This morning," Spike answered. "I didn't mean to scare you like that."  
  
"Oh," Spike looked down at her, finding it harder and harder to tell what she   
was thinking. It was almost like she was a different person; he had left a   
marker in a book only to find that the marker he came back to was in an   
entirely different book. Why hadn't he noticed that before?   
"It's okay," she was saying. "I'm over that now. Really."  
  
Spike managed a small smile. "I meant what I said earlier," Faye gave him   
a confused look. "I am glad you decided to come along."  
  
Faye could feel her heartbeat getting faster. "Really?"  
  
"Yeah," Spike replied slowly, marveling at how he had been ignorant to how   
beautiful she was. 'Faye? Beautiful? What the hell was in that stuff anyway?'  
  
Faye suddenly came to a realization: she was pretty much naked, and the two   
of them were only a few feet apart. Her brain was screaming like an alarm. 'Too   
close! Too close! Escape! Flee! Need distraction… pronto!'  
  
Spike opened his mouth to speak when he found a pair of amber eyes staring   
him in the face. "What the hell…?"   
  
Faye looked down at her feet to see Spike pinned to the ground, being   
smothered in kisses (and licks) by none other than…  
  
Spike blinked in surprise. "Ed? Is that you?"  
  
Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV, now a good foot taller than before, with   
even wilder chin-length hair grinned happily. "Hello-ello-elloooo! Edward is so   
happy to see Spike-person and Faye-Faye!"  
  
Faye fought to hold back a smile. "Good to see you, too, Ed." she replied.  
  
The young hacker giggled. "Faye-Faye is happy to see Edward?" She then   
blinked curiously. "Why is Faye-Faye naked?"  
  
Faye's face turned red again. "I'm wearing a towel for crying out loud!" she   
exclaimed. "I just got out of the shower!"  
  
"Oh." There was a pause. "Faye-Faye is nay-ked! Faye-Faye is naaaay-ked!"  
  
Ein barked loudly.  
  
The cabin lights switched on, revealing a sleepy-eyed Jet dressed in only a   
pair of sweatpants. "What's going on in here?" he yawned.  
  
"Jet-person is here, too!" Ed squealed, latching onto his leg. "Edward is happy   
to see Jet-person, too!"  
  
"Ed?" Jet exclaimed, patting her on the head. "You're here early… or late, I   
should say." The girl only laughed. Jet then looked up to see Spike laying   
sprawled out on the floor and Faye wearing nothing but a towel. He pointed an   
accusing finger at them, his jaw dropping to the floor.  
  
"Looks like we got a bit carried away." Spike laughed, trying to hold back a smirk. "Sorry we woke you, Jet." he replied, earning a murderous glare from Faye.  
  
"Faye! Why the hell are you naked?!"  
  
"I'm not naked! I just got out the shower! Spike Spiegel, I swear I'll kill you if you   
don't stop laughing!"  
  
"What're you gonna do? Strangle me with that towel?"  
  
"Aaarrgggghhhhh!!!"  
  
"Ed, you can let go of my leg now…"  
  
"Faye-Faye is nay-ked, Faye-Faye is nay-ked. Nay-kee, nay-kee, nay-ked!"  
  
Ein barked twice, tilting his head to the side before settling himself into a comfy   
position on the floor.  
  
It seemed as though things were getting back to normal on the Bebop.  
  
End of Chapter 5 


	7. 6 - Is it Real?

Author's Note - Um... if you guys have been paying attention to the pattern   
of this fanfic, you will have realized that every other chapter previously   
posted has been in the point of view of one of the major crew members on   
the Bebop. So far, as you probably already know, I have covered Spike,   
Faye, and Jet. So, keeping with the pattern, this chapter belongs to Edward.   
Knowing Edward, she speaks and refers to herself in 3rd person, so I've kept   
her monologue (or whatever) in 3rd person, too. I hope you guys don't mind   
too much. It's not that hard to read (at least I don't think...) I promise!  
  
Chapter 6 - Is it Real?  
"I'm falling in and out of touch  
Could someone please explain?  
Set my mind for open sky, but couldn't fly, so sadly  
What am I? What am I?"  
  
Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV's P.O.V -  
  
Even though the Earth is mostly barren wasteland, it can be a very   
cold place. Edward knows this just as well as anybody. You can be in the   
Sahara Desert, where it gets to be a ba-zillion degrees in the shade (or so   
Edward has heard) and still be cold. Why is this, you ask? Simple, it is   
always cold when someone is lonely.  
  
Sadly, Edward cannot remember Edward's mother. Mother-person went   
away a long time ago when Edward was very little. Edward thinks   
mother-person may have gotten sick and passed away, but Edward is not   
sure. Father-person said that mother-person went out on a walk, and got lost.   
He said she had forgotten the way back. He says she was very forgetful… or   
maybe it was forgettable. Edward is not very sure.  
  
However, Edward is sure that father-person changed when mother-person   
went away. Father-person would go away sometimes, working, and would   
leave Edward by herself. Edward would get very lonely with no one to talk to.   
Edward began talking to Edward's self.  
  
Father-person traveled a lot. Sometimes, father-person would take Edward   
with him and sometimes father-person would not. 'Francoise,' he would say,   
patting Edward's head. 'Please hold down the fort for father. I'll be back soon, I promise.' Edward would not see father-person for weeks sometimes.  
  
Father-person was a very busy man. His job was to track meteors, chunks   
of the Earth's moon that fell to Earth. He told Edward that he hoped to chart   
them all, so that he would know when the last one fell. That way, Earth would be   
safe to live on.  
  
At that time, Earth was not a very safe place at all. Not many people   
were left living on the planet. Not only were meteors constantly falling from the   
sky, but a lot of dangerous people lived on Earth, too. Bounty heads always   
came to Earth, hiding out from hunters and the ISSP.  
  
One time, when Edward was all alone, Edward met a lady. Lady-person's   
name was Madame Hotaru; she was a hacker hiding out on Earth because of a 500,000,000-woolong bounty on her head. Edward never found out what it   
was Firefly did. Edward called her Firefly, by the way.  
  
=====  
  
"You're a weird kid," Firefly would say, when she failed in trying to get   
Edward to tell her where a place owned by some person named Doohan was.   
  
Doohan-was? Edward had never heard of a place like that. Edward   
told her instead about Edward, and father-person, and how Edward liked   
computers - but Father-person would never let Edward play with his equipment.  
  
"Francoise no-touch," he would always say. Sometimes Edward would   
think father-person did not like her.  
  
Firefly shook her head. She was a tall lady, much taller than Edward was.   
Firefly's hair was bright red, and hung down her back in a big braid. She had   
amber eyes - just like Edward's - and always wore orange. Edward liked Firefly. Hefting Edward over her shoulder, Firefly got in her car and drove off. Edward   
had never ridden in a car before. Edward was only three.  
  
=====  
  
It turned out Edward was as good with computers as Firefly was. She   
told Edward so when Firefly taught Edward everything she knew. She said   
Edward would make a good hacker. Edward did not know what a hacker was.   
Edward thinks Firefly was insulted.  
  
Firefly said hackers were like artists; they created works of art. Instead of   
using paint, or clay, hackers like Firefly used computers to undo 'the damage   
wrought by the weaker sex of mankind'... or so Firefly said. Edward did not   
know what that meant. Edward does not even understand today. To Edward,   
hacking was a game, seeing since Edward never really had anyone to play with. Except for Ein and MPU, but that was later.  
  
Edward stayed with Firefly a very long time. Firefly taught Ed how to   
interface with government databases, breach firewalls, read and create   
encrypted information while Edward taught Firefly how to make origami.   
Edward is very good at that.  
  
When Edward turned four, Firefly decided it was time for Edward to go   
home. Edward did not want to; she was afraid father-person would be angry   
with her for staying away so long. Firefly insisted, so Edward had to say   
goodbye. She tracked father-person down, and returned Edward to him.   
Father-person had not even noticed Edward was missing.  
  
Edward did say father-person was very forgetful, didn't she? Not even a   
month later, father-person left Edward at a daycare at the edge of what is   
left of the Salt Flats. Father-person did not come back for Edward like he   
promised. Edward was alone again.  
  
=====  
  
Edward has been many places, and has had many homes. Edward   
has heard people say that 'home is where your family is'. Edward can tell you   
now that this is not always true. 'Home is where your heart is.' Father-person   
is a good man, and cares about Edward, but he does not know Edward. He   
does not love Edward. Edward's heart does not lie with father-person and his   
heart does not lie with Edward. That is why Edward had to leave him.  
  
When Edward lost father-person a second time, Edward realized that   
father-person's work was his only main concern. If Edward were to stay   
with father-person, Edward would only be abandoned again. Edward would   
not be able to handle that. So, what was Edward to do?  
  
Go back to the Bebop, of course! At first, Edward did not know how to   
find Bebop - everyone had disappeared. Spike-person had died, Edward had   
heard, and Faye-Faye, too… so to speak, but that is another story. Jet-person   
did not wish to look for them. Then, Edward received e-mail from Skip Pliegees. Edward is not dumb - she knew right away that it was   
Spike-person. Edward is not easily fooled.  
  
Still, even though Spike-person only wanted help on a bounty, Edward   
was very happy to be going back to the Bebop. Edward and Ein had been   
out in the wilderness a long time (Ein was really starting to need a bath… and   
a haircut, too). Faye-Faye, and Spike-person, and Jet-person can be weird   
sometimes, but Edward still likes them. They are Edward's family, and   
Edward would not trade them in for the world.  
  
So, now Edward is back on the Bebop. Finally Edward feels that she   
is at home. After all, home is where your family is.  
  
End of Chapter 6 


	8. 7- Bouncing of the Walls

Chapter 7 - Bouncing Off the Walls  
"I'm bouncing off the walls again  
I'm looking like a fool again  
Waking up on the bathroom floor  
Pull myself together just to fall once more"  
  
He could hear it again. A feminine voice was humming a soft tune   
somewhere off in the distance. When he opened his eyes, what he saw  
was not an angel or a shrew, but a pair of brown eyes and a large pink   
tongue.  
  
Spike groaned, yanking his pillow over his head. "Would someone please   
tell me why Ein is in my bed?" he yelled, only the sound of his voice came   
out muffled.  
  
As his pillow was yanked away, Spike looked up to see Ed standing over   
him. He blinked, noticing how much different she looked. Granted, she   
was still as skinny as a beanpole, but with her height, physique, and hair,   
you could actually tell she was a girl. A really strange looking girl, wearing   
black biker shorts, and a black tank top underneath a gray long-sleeved,   
over-sized sweatshirt cut off at the cuffs so that the sleeves wouldn't be   
too long.   
  
Still, despite everything, that insane grin of hers was still there. "Edward."   
  
"Yes, Spike-person?"  
  
"Why are you in here?"  
  
Amber eyes blinked at him curiously. "Oh, that's easy!" she exclaimed.   
"Edward came to make sure Spike-person wasn't dead."  
  
Spike rolled his eyes and smirked. "Well, as you can see, Edward," he   
replied. "I'm still here."  
  
"Spike-person was tipsy." Edward explained, grinning like a Cheshire cat.   
"Tipsy dipsy doozy. He went into Faye-Faye's room by mistake and passed   
out. Slept all day long."  
  
'Damn…' He looked over at the young hacker. "You guys moved me,   
didn't you?"  
  
That insufferable grin was still there. Spike jumped up like someone who   
realized they were lying on a bed of hot coals. His mismatched eyes   
quickly scanned the room. No gun rack, no Bruce Lee posters, no nothing;   
this wasn't his room!  
  
Edward giggled, rolling off of the bed onto the floor. "Spike-person is   
Faye-Faye now!" she exclaimed.  
  
Spike growled slightly. Though he did like the kid, her weird little antics   
were starting to piss him off. "Get out here, Ed!"  
  
Edward jumped up, scooping Ein up in one arm and saluting him with the   
other. "Okie dokie," she replied. She grinned again. "Faye-Faye!"  
  
====  
  
  
Jet blinked at the sudden symphony of colorful metaphors mixed with the   
sound of things being knocked over. He looked up from his bonsai trees   
just in time to see Ed screeching by, Ein barking at her heels.  
  
He chuckled to himself. Those two made quite the pair.  
  
"Tell me something, Jet," Spike stood in the open doorway, wearing the   
same clothing he had the night before, and looking like he fell out of a   
laundry hamper.  
  
"Yeah?" Jet asked, trying to hold back a grin.  
  
"Did I make a mistake by getting everybody back together?"  
  
Jet chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "Nah, Spike." he replied, standing   
up. "You did good. I hate to admit it, but it hasn't been the same with all   
you nut-jobs running around here, making my life Hell."  
  
Spike 'hmph'ed. "I guess." he replied.   
  
Jet walked out of the room. "By the way," he replied. "If I would've   
known you were gonna go bar-hopping last night, I would have joined you." He glanced back at him. "It's been a long time since we had a drink together."  
  
Spike plopped down on the couch. "Yeah, it has." he agreed. "Though   
next time, I'm just going to stick with just a beer. Some of that shit they   
got out there just isn't good for you."  
  
"By that I assume you mean Arubian Moonshine?" A plate of food was set   
in front of him. Faye, wearing Jet's apron - which was way too big - gave   
him a 'laugh and you die' look before setting down Jet's plate and going to   
fetch her own. Underneath the apron, Spike could tell she was wearing a   
tight fitting yellow blouse and a pair of jeans. He also noted she was   
wearing the white high-heeled boots she always wore.  
  
"Unfortunately," he answered, looking back and forth between Faye and   
Jet as if he had stepped into the Twilight Zone. He glanced back up at her.   
"I thought you said you didn't drink?"  
  
"I don't anymore." Faye replied. "I had a little incident with that stuff   
myself once."  
  
"Really?" Jet asked, having not yet heard this story.  
  
"Yes, really." Faye said patiently. "I was out with a friend and drank half a   
bottle of that stuff." Spike raised an eyebrow; this story sounded a bit   
familiar. "I woke up in a cathedral with close to 1 million woolongs."  
  
"You don't say?" Jet laughed. "How long were you out?"  
  
Faye shrugged, sitting down in a chair with her own plate. "I'm not too   
sure." she answered. "I don't even know where the money came from."  
  
"Bounty heads." Spike said a matter-of-factly, earning questioning glances   
from the other two. "I'm sure the local casinos were more than happy to   
receive your patronage that day."  
  
Faye shot him a cold glare. "More like the debt collectors had one less   
excuse to put another bounty on my head." she replied coolly. "Ass."   
  
Jet cleared his throat slightly. "Ed! Come eat!" A loud squeal could be   
heard in the background as Ed rushed in, grabbed her food and rushed out   
again.  
  
Silence hung heavy in the air once again.  
  
Spike absently forked through the food on his plate. "I didn't know you   
could cook, Faye." he replied.  
  
Faye didn't look up at him. "Well, now you do." She remained silent, taking   
a sip from a glass of water.   
  
"She didn't have much of a choice," Jet added, trying to ward away any   
chances of an argument. "Macy's cooking is worse than mine."  
  
Faye glanced up at him. "Macy's sends his regards by the way." Jet paled   
slightly.  
  
Spike shoved a forkful of food into his mouth. He wasn't sure what it was,   
but it tasted okay. Faye wasn't that bad of a cook. He thought about   
making a comment, but judging the way she was acting, it didn't seem like   
a good idea. He hadn't expected the remark about the casinos to upset her,   
and he didn't want her any even angrier with him.  
  
'Since when have I started caring about what Faye thinks of me?' he asked   
himself, watching her as she continued eating her food.  
  
"And now you're leaving… just like that! Where are you going? Why are   
you going? What are you going to do?"  
  
Spike sighed inwardly, setting his plate down. Why couldn't he get her out   
of his mind?  
  
Jet looked up at him. Though he hadn't seen Spike in a while, Jet still knew   
him well enough to know that something was bothering him. He rubbed his   
beard thoughtfully; that very something just so happened to be seated in the   
chair next to him. 'Well, I'll be damned…'  
  
At that moment, Edward decided to reappear. Goggles strapped on and her   
Tomato precariously balanced on top of her red head, she brought her hands   
to her mouth, making a trumpet-like sound. Everyone looked up at her like   
she had grown a third arm.  
  
"Attention, Bebop crew!" she exclaimed. "Edward would like to make   
announcement!"  
  
"Go ahead, Ed," Spike replied. "We're listening."  
  
Edward nodded her head. "Edward wanted everyone to know that Edward   
has been working very, very hard." she replied. "Edward has been surfing   
the Web for any information on the bounty head."  
  
"Did you find anything?" Faye asked.  
  
Again, Edward nodded her head, her red hair spilling over her goggles.   
Blowing it away, Edward turned to Ein. "Lights please."  
  
Ein barked, and the rest of the Bebop crew turned their attention to the   
vid-screen as information on their bounty popped up.  
  
"There's no picture." Jet pointed out.  
  
"Nope," Edward replied. "Edward searched far and wide, but could not   
find picture. It seems no one has ever seen this person."  
  
Faye leaned closer to the screen. "Hm… a mystery bounty head we all   
have something in common with." she mused. "Their real name is   
unknown but they sometimes go by the aliases Ragnarok or Thanatos."  
  
Spike scoffed slightly.   
  
"I've never heard of either of those names," Jet replied.  
  
"Well…" Edward replied. "According to Edward's Tomato, Ragnarok is a   
term from Norse Mythology that means the day of doom."  
  
"And Thanatos?"  
  
"The Greek name for Death." Edward waved her hands in a ghost-like   
gesture. "The Roman's called him Orcus."  
  
"Right…" Jet scratched his head. "So, what we've got on our hand is   
someone who thinks they are the personification of Death, with the sole   
purpose to bring about the end of all life."  
  
"What're the charges against him, Ed?" Spike asked.  
  
"Let Edward see." The young hacker whipped out her Tomato, typing   
madly as words, codes, and numbers flashed by over her goggles.   
"According to Tomato, Death the Doomsday-bringer is wanted on many,   
many numerous offences."  
  
"Like…?"  
  
"On Venus - mail fraud, computer fraud, smuggling of illegal contraband.   
On Mars - illegal contraband, grand theft auto, arson, 4 accounts of   
2nd-degree murder, 5 of 3rd degree, manslaughter. On Ganymede -   
grand theft auto, possession of red-eye, blackmail, 15 counts of 2nd and   
3rd degree murder. Also, Tomato says he is the prime suspect in many   
accounts of kidnapping, along with numerous rapes," Faye frowned. "7   
on Ganymede, 4 on Venus, 2 on Earth, 11 on Callisto, and on Mars…"  
  
"That's enough, Ed." Faye interrupted, shutting off the Tomato.  
  
"Okay…" she replied, uncertain. "All Edward was going to say was that   
the bounty went up to 160."  
  
"When?" Jet asked.  
  
"This morning." Edward answered. "The ISSP tracked him to Earth, but   
they got there too late. He was too tricky. He took out a bunch of people   
in a small town in the US region. The estimate population was 30… but   
now it's 17." Edward pulled off her goggles, pouting slightly. "Edward   
thinks this bounty-person is bad."  
  
"Yeah, but…" Jet frowned, his brows furrowed in thought. "Don't worry,   
though, I'm pretty sure we can bust this guy. Do we have any leads?"  
  
"He's a rookie hacker," Edward answered. "He goes to Earth periodically   
looking for new programs to hone his skills with."  
  
"Any ideas where he goes afterwards?"  
  
"Probably to Mars." Everyone looked up at Faye. "No doubt to refuel and   
pick up supplies."  
  
"But there's a lot of places he can hide on Mars," Jet replied. "There's got   
to be a way to narrow it down."  
  
"Edward has already done that." Everyone turned back to the young   
hacker, who was busy waving her arms, bowing to her Tomato. "Tomato   
tells Edward that Death, the Doomsday bringer--"  
  
"Could you please stop calling him that--?"  
  
"Can be found in Aruba City. He has contacts there that hide him out   
when the police and bounty hunters get too close."  
  
"Well then, all we hafta do is go out and look for information on him." Spike   
replied, rising out of his seat. "Each of us take a corner of the city and   
meet up in the middle."  
  
"Hold on a minute, Spike," Jet replied. "It'd be best if just you and Faye   
went together."  
  
"Huh?" they both replied in unison.  
  
"Think about it." Jet replied. "There's still a lot about this guy we don't   
know, so it'd be best if Ed stuck around in scrounged for more info."  
  
"Okie dokie!"  
  
Spike glance at Jet warily. "And what about you?" The ex-cop was up to   
something and he knew it.   
  
Jet didn't flinch. "The Bebop isn't ready for the hunt just yet." he answered.   
"There's still some repair work that needs to be done before we go into deep   
space-"  
  
"How did it manage before then?"  
  
"I've been using it for its original purpose." Jet answered. Spike gave him   
a 'which is?' look. "Fishing."  
  
"Oh, for crying out loud…"  
  
"Not only that," Jet continued. "We need to stock up on food. The way   
you guys eat and we'll be out even before we leave Mars' orbit."  
  
"Okay then," Spike grumbled. "You and Ed do what you gotta do. Faye   
and I will head out and try to track this guy down." He turned to Faye.   
"Let's get going."  
  
Faye sighed, tossing Jet's apron down on the chair. "Gee, thanks a lot."   
She deadpanned, following the lanky bounty hunter out of the room.  
  
Edward blinked at her curiously, then up to Jet. "Was Faye-Faye talking to   
Spike-person or to Jet-person?"  
  
Jet chuckled. "Does it really matter?"  
  
Edward paused, deep in thought. "Faye-Faye and Spike are having issues,   
aren't they?"  
  
Jet blinked at her in surprise. The girl had more insight than he had given   
her credit. "Yeah, I guess you could say that." he answered. "But, they're   
going to have to come to some sorta resolution if they want to catch this   
bounty."  
  
"Yeah…" Edward raised her arms over her head, stretching. "Edward   
hopes they get it together."  
  
Jet smirked to himself. 'You're not the only one…'  
  
=====  
  
  
"Hey, Faye."   
  
"Hm?" Faye looked down at her console to see Spike on her monitor. He   
almost looked as though he was worried about something. "What is it,   
Spike?" she asked.  
  
Spike paused a moment. Her tone hadn't been rude or demanding, but it   
bothered him nonetheless. "What's on your mind?"  
  
She blinked in confusion. Why would he want to know?  
  
"You haven't said a word since we left the ship." He replied, answering   
her unspoken question. Apparently her expression had given it away.   
She'd have to be more careful.  
  
"Nothing's wrong," she replied as nonchalant as she could manage. "I was   
just thinking about the bounty."   
  
Oh, she was thinking about it all right. Faye wouldn't normally credit   
herself to having a sixth sense about certain things (well, things not   
concerning gambling), but something just didn't seem right. By the list of   
offenses rattled off by Edward, Faye had a sneaking suspicion that what   
Spike had told her about the bounty head was right. She didn't like it one   
bit.  
  
"You know the guy, don't you?" Faye looked up in surprise. The   
Swordfish II was flying right alongside her Red Tail. She could see Spike   
looking over at her.  
  
"Shouldn't you be watching where you're going?"  
  
"You didn't answer my question."  
  
"Just because I agreed to help you on this bounty doesn't mean I have to   
answer to you." she replied curtly, avoiding his gaze.   
  
"Faye," His voice sounded slightly chiding. "Unless we have information   
on this guy we're never going to catch him."  
  
Faye bit her lip, as the two ships passed through a cloud bank, hoping he   
couldn't see her. "There are other bounties."  
  
There was silence on the other end. "The bounty is 160 million woolongs."  
  
Faye closed her eyes. Too much for a sick bastard like him, if you asked   
her.  
  
"Which is why we have to catch him." Faye looked up again. Had she said   
that out loud. "So, I ask you again. Do you know the guy or not?"  
  
Faye let out a small growl. "Damnit!" She yanked down on the controls,   
sending the Red Tail flying downwards through the clouds towards their   
destination - to Aruba City.  
  
=====  
  
  
Spike adjusted his sunglasses slightly. Sitting on a park bench, the lanky   
bounty hunter watched with detached interest as numerous people passed   
him by. By the way he sat with his legs kicked out and his arms hanging   
back over the bench, one would have thought he was completely oblivious   
to everything going on around him.   
  
On the contrary, his undivided attention was focused on the bench's other   
occupant. His original question still hung in the air, as he waited for her to   
begin.  
  
"I already told you," Faye said impatiently. "I'm not sure if it's him or not."  
  
"How old was he?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Well, what'd he look like?"  
  
"I don't remember."  
  
"Where'd you see him."  
  
"I don't remember."  
  
"This wasn't by chance around the time you got blitzed on that moonshine was it?"  
  
"Damnit, Spike, I told you I don't know!"  
  
Spike let his sunglasses slide down to the end of his nose. Looking up at   
her, he could tell that the subject of their discussion wasn't something she   
really wanted to talk about. Still, he had no other choice but to press the   
issue. This guy was a pervert sicko and needed to be caught.  
  
"It was long before I left the Bebop." Her voice was barely audible.   
Looking over at her, Spike could see that Faye's eyes were closed, as if   
she were trying to remember some event in her head. "Some friend of   
Jet's e-mailed him about a prospective bounty on Mars. The bounty itself   
wasn't a lot, but at that point we were willing to take anything; we really   
needed the money. Unfortunately, Jet's leg was still in pretty bad shape, so   
he couldn't take it."  
  
"So, you went instead?" Spike replied, his focus on a leaf currently being   
blown down the street.  
  
"Yeah," Faye answered. "I really hadn't been that much help in the past…   
I wanted to somehow make it up to Jet, so I decided to take on the bounty   
myself."  
  
"Did he know about it?"  
  
"No, I didn't tell him." she answered. "I didn't want to get his hopes up in   
case I screwed it up - as I was so warrant to do."  
  
Spike felt a brief pang of guilt run through him. He frowned slightly.   
'Where did that come from?'  
  
"So, anyway, I went to Mars, gathering sources and information as I went   
along," Faye continued. "The guy was a small-time crook it seemed;   
wanted for hitting a couple national banks and all that - nothing serious."   
She paused. "Or that's what I thought."  
  
"What happened?" Spike asked.  
  
Faye glanced over at him. "Did you know that only 29% of bounty hunters   
are female?" she asked. Spike shook his head. "Neither did I until he told   
me."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Aeolis…" Her voice took on a bitterness that was uncommon even for  
Faye. "At least that's what he called himself. It turns out the small-time   
crook was just a cover." She glanced over at him for a brief moment with   
fear in her eyes. "This guy was a freak, Spike. It was terrible. He liked to   
prey on those he felt were weaker than him - animals, children, women…"   
She paused. "All the things you hate."   
  
Spike didn't reply. He knew she was trying to get a rise out of him so that   
he would change the subject. It wasn't going to happen.  
  
Faye frowned, clenching her fists in her lap. "He'd pick a target,"   
she continued. "Found out any information he could on them… like a   
stalker. He'd follow them around, keeping track of their every move, just   
waiting for the moment when he would strike. When he did strike…" she   
trailed off, not wanting to finish that thought.  
  
"How do you know all of this?" Spike asked.  
  
"He told me," she answered quietly. "After I caught him finishing off one   
of his victims."  
  
== Flashback ==  
  
Faye had seen a lot of things in her life, some she couldn't remember,   
others she wished she could forget. Still, as she stared in horror at the   
sight before her, she couldn't believe her eyes. She felt sick to her   
stomach. If she hadn't been so mortified she would have turned and run   
away.  
  
"You're shaking." Faye whipped out her gun, aiming it at her target.  
  
'Or am I his target?' her mind wondered, too shocked to really focus on   
anything. She tried her best to keep her cool. "Drop your weapon, dirt bag.   
And keep your hands where I can see them."  
  
Two blood stained hands rose slowly into the air. Though the rest of his   
body was shrouded in the darkness of the room, Faye could tell he was   
grinning. "As you can see, my dear," he replied softly. "I'm unarmed."  
  
"Very good." Faye replied with a sneer. "But if you think I'm gonna drop   
my gun just to be fair, you're out of your damn mind."  
  
"Oh, no, no, Miss Huntress." he replied. "I never play fair. It takes away   
all the fun of the kill." His gaze wandered to a young woman sprawled out   
in the corner.  
  
Faye forced herself not too look. She cursed herself a thousand times on   
the inside for not getting to her in time. Keeping her gaze on her target,   
she snarled fiercely. "All right, Aeolis," she replied. "I'm turning you in."  
  
"Oh really?" he asked. "What's the bounty on my head this time?"  
  
Faye blinked. 'This time?' She lowered her gun slightly. Who was this   
guy?  
  
Unfortunately, lowering her gun had been a grave error. Just as she did   
so, Aeolis rushed forward, his elbow aimed towards her abdomen. At the   
force of the blow, Faye slammed into the wall. Stunned, she slid down to   
the floor. Before she could do anything to defend herself, he was already   
upon her.  
  
== End of Flashback ==  
  
Spike watched Faye carefully. Her body had not changed its position, but   
by looking at her eyes, he could tell she was miles away. He looked down   
at the ground, slowly unclenching his hands.  
  
"Did he…?" Faye snapped out of her trance, looking over at him. "He   
didn't…"  
  
Faye shook her head. "No, he didn't." she replied. "I wasn't his target."   
Unnoticed by her, Spike seemed very relieved. "He did however, leave   
me with this." She pulled down the collar of her blouse, revealing a scar   
in the shape of a thin line right next to her left shoulder. "Stab wound…   
he just left me there with his victim… both of us… just left us there to   
die."  
  
"But you didn't." Spike replied, hoping that would somehow reassure her.   
He noted the scar was in the same place Vicious had stabbed him in their   
final battle. However, he forced his thoughts away from that, focusing   
them on Faye. Something told her she needed to get this all out.  
  
"The girl died." she replied. "I think she was dead before I got there. Her   
name was Valerie Caldor. She was only 19." Spike gave her a look of   
confusion. "I checked her wallet. I felt responsible for her death   
somehow… I couldn't just leave her there."  
  
Spike's eyes widened. "You didn't…"  
  
"I carried her back to her apartment… It wasn't that far from where it all   
happened." Faye replied. "I told her brother it was my fault that she died."  
  
"But, it wasn't…"  
  
"Her dad and sister had died from Venus sickness and her mother lived on   
Venus, too." she went on. "Macy was all she had."  
  
"Macy? The same Macy."  
  
"Yeah," Faye answered. "He forgave me though… he said it wasn't my   
fault. He even cared for me until I was strong enough to go back to the   
Bebop."  
  
Spike searched the pockets of his jacket for a cigarette, only to find that he   
had none. "This Macy friend of yours sounds like a good guy." he offered.  
  
"Yeah," she replied. "He and Jet kept me sane." Spike opened his mouth   
to speak when she reached into her pocket and pulled out a packet of   
cigarettes.  
  
"I thought you didn't smoke." Spike replied, taking the pack.  
  
"I don't." she answered. "You left them in my bed." She could have   
almost sworn she saw him blush.  
  
"Sorry," he murmured, lifting his lighter to his cigarette. He stopped   
halfway, his eyes focusing on something a few yards away.  
  
"What is it?" Faye asked.  
  
"Shh." Spike tilted his sunglasses upward, using the special telescopic   
lenses to zoom in on a figure in a gray trench coat. He frowned slightly.   
"I know that guy."  
  
"What?" Faye blinked as Spike rose from he seat, heading towards the   
street in purposeful strides. She rose, following quickly behind him. "Are   
you sure?" she asked. "Where do you know him from?"  
  
Spike yanked off his glasses, although he did not look back at her. An   
angry smirk crossed his features. "He used to work for the Syndicate."  
  
End of Chapter 7 


	9. 8 - Blue

Chapter 8 - Blue  
"Asked myself what it's all for  
You know the funny thing about it  
I couldn't answer  
No, I couldn't answer"  
  
Spike Spiegel's P.O.V -  
  
It used to be impossible to distract me while I was in the middle of a   
mission, except of course when something completely unexpected   
happened… but no one's perfect, right? Now it seems I can't seem to   
focus on anything in front of me. What happened to me?  
  
Though I'm not exactly proud of it, life in the Syndicate turned me into   
a well-oiled machine. I could track and take out anyone I was ordered to.   
So much for that; now it seems the only thing I can focus on are the   
footsteps resounding behind me. Surprisingly enough, she's managed to   
keep up with me. I really should stop thinking about her and pay attention   
to where I'm going.  
  
"Spike!"   
  
I look ahead to see our target duck around the corner. So far, we've   
chased him through and around the park. After about 10 minutes, he   
finally realized he was being tailed and took off running. There was no   
time to get back to our ships, so we had to chase him on foot. So far, so   
good.  
  
Or at least it was - we round the corner only to find the prick nowhere   
in sight. We hear a light banging sound and immediately both weapons   
are drawn. I immediately glance over at Faye. Her green eyes are clear   
and focused, scanning the alleyway for any signs of intrusion.   
  
I fight to hold back a smile. I almost forgot how she reminded me of a   
tigress on the hunt. She's sort of like Jet sometimes; once she sets her   
sights on a bounty, she doesn't give up until she catches them - or   
completely messes up, nearly getting herself killed. It's kind of funny to   
see how she would merely brush it off, claiming as if the bounty wasn't   
worth her time. Despite how pissed I would get at her, I knew deep   
down she was angry with herself. Of course, that didn't stop me from   
stating my own displeasure.  
  
Suddenly, I felt her hand on my shoulder. She held up her gun, gesturing   
to an open door at the end of the alley. So the little prick had ducked into   
one of empty apartment buildings.   
  
I smirked to myself, posting myself on one side of the door as Faye did the   
same on the other side. Unless he had a ship waiting to take off on the   
roof, there was no way he was going to get away.  
  
I glanced over at Faye. "On the count of three," I whispered to her. "We   
go in. One…"  
  
"Three." Faye rushed through the door, flying up the flights of stairs two at   
a time.  
  
I blinked at her a moment. What the hell did she think she was doing?   
Suddenly it dawned on me - what if he was the bounty? That would mean   
he was the same guy that had nearly…I forced that thought down quickly.   
I went after her in a heartbeat. "Damnit, Faye Valentine!"  
  
=====  
  
After I passed the sign, indicating I had reached the 6th floor, I heard   
the door outside slam open, followed by two gunshots. Wasting no time,   
I rushed out onto the floor, scanning the area for my hotheaded partner.  
  
'Partner…? Since when did Faye become my partner?'  
  
"Spike! Get your ass down, you lunkhead!" Faye reached out, yanking me   
into the boiler room closet.  
  
I grinned down at her. "Really, now, Faye… do you think now is the time   
for this?"  
  
If it hadn't been so dark, I would have sworn she was blushing. "Dumb   
ass," she hissed. Yup, she was blushing. "Go ahead, get shot. See what   
I care."  
  
"Well, no one told you to run up here and start blasting." I told her in a   
slightly chiding tone.  
  
"For your information, Mr. Bounty hunter," she snapped. "I wasn't the   
one shooting." Three bullets flew through the door, causing us to duck   
down. Unfortunately, there really wasn't that much room in the closet,   
and I found myself closer to Faye than I really would have liked.   
  
Sitting on her haunches, she grinned up at me smugly. "See?"  
  
Unfortunately, before I could come up with some witty comeback, I tried   
edging back, only to slip on the wet floor, landing on top of her. Not only   
that, but I think I hit my head on a pipe.  
  
- Thunk! - So did she. "Son of a --- gaah…" She bit her lip, rubbing her   
head fiercely.  
  
"You okay?" I asked her, feeling the beginnings of a nice lump starting to  
form on my head. How dandy.  
  
"Yeah," she replied through clenched teeth. "That hurt like a mother…"  
  
It was bad enough that I couldn't take my eyes off of her, but then I had   
to go and do the unthinkable. "Here, lemme see." Placing my gun down   
on the floor, I cradled her head gently, turning it to the side. There was a   
nice little knick on her forehead, slightly below the hairline. It was   
bleeding a little, but it didn't look too serious. "Don't worry, you'll live."  
  
She didn't reply. She just kept staring at me with a mixture of awe, fear…   
and something else I couldn't quite identify. Then, before I knew it, they   
were gone. She looked away from me, craning her neck towards the door. "Do you hear that?"  
  
"What?" I asked, still trying to figure out what had just happened.  
  
"He stopped shooting." I didn't reply. "Spike!" she snapped irately.  
  
"Oh, all right." I stood up, placing my ear to the door. She was right - he   
had stopped shooting. I cursed softly. He must've gotten to the roof. I   
opened the door slowly. "Come on, let's go."  
  
Faye nodded, picking up my gun and handing it to me as she rose from   
the floor. "You think we lost him?" she asked quietly. I could see the   
frustration in her eyes, but I don't think it was from losing the target.  
  
"Maybe." I replied, stepping out into the hall. "The only thing we can do   
is--"  
  
-Click!-  
  
Faye's eyes widened in fear. "Spike!" She pushed me aside, the two of us   
hitting the wall and sliding down to the floor.  
  
"Shit!" I looked up to see our target running of down the hall. Not moving   
from my position, I raised my gun and fired, knocking his gun out of his   
hand. "Don't move!" I yelled. "Next time I won't miss."  
  
He stopped, raising his hands in the air. "Funny," he laughed. "You never   
missed before." He turned to face me. "It's been a long time, Spike   
Spiegel. You haven't changed much."  
  
I rose to my feet, eyeing him warily. Blue eyes, short blackish-blue hair,   
an angular face shape, and that damned grin of his. I snorted slightly.   
"Neither have you, Arnold."  
  
He smiled, pleased no doubt. "You remembered me!"  
  
"I never forget a face," I told him. "Especially not one of a little weasel   
who likes to switch sides whenever the shit hits the fan."   
  
Arnold chuckled slightly. "Oh, come on, Spike." he replied. "You left, too,   
didn't you?"  
  
"For different reasons, I'm sure of it." Faye was up and behind me now,  
keeping her eyes on the two of us as she buttoned up her jacket. I glanced   
back at her - she was trying to see if she recognized him, but it looked as   
though she was coming up short. "Faye, this is Arnold Benedict. Like I   
said before, he used to work for the Syndicate."  
  
He stepped forward a few paces, smiling at Faye. However, I didn't like   
the way he was looking at her. "It's a pleasure, my dear."   
  
Apparently, neither did she. With her gun aimed at his head, she replied,   
"Charmed, I'm sure." Her facial expression remained blank.  
  
Okay… this day was getting weirder and weirder. "Right..." I turned my   
attention back towards Arnold. "So, what are you doing here? And why   
were you shooting at us if you knew who I was?"  
  
"You guys were following me," he answered. "I thought you were bounty   
hunters."  
  
No shit… "You got a bounty on your head?"  
  
"Me?" Arnold laughed nervously. "No, not me. Someone I know does,   
though."  
  
"And who might that be?" I asked him.  
  
"You know I like ya, Spike," Arnold replied. "But I can't tell you that."  
  
"Then why not tell me," We both turned to Faye. She was smiling at him   
coyly, but there was still the look of a tigress on a hunt in her eyes. Faye   
was luring him in. "It'll be worth your while," Arnold gulped slightly. "I   
promise I won't tell."  
  
"Won't your boyfriend mind?" he asked, glancing at me out of the corner   
of his eye. Prick. What made him think I was her boyfriend?  
  
"He's not my boyfriend," she replied a-matter-of-factly. She lowered her   
gun, aiming it at another vital area. My eyes widened - this chick wasn't   
kidding! "So, start talking."  
  
Would you believe he wept like a baby? Yeah… you probably would.  
  
=====  
  
  
"Well, that was a waste of time." I replied, walking back towards the   
Swordfish II.  
  
"What do you mean?" Faye asked. I couldn't help her voice sounded a   
bit strained, but I chalked it up to all that running we did.  
  
"Yeah, he squealed," I told her. "But he doesn't know anything."   
  
She stared at me incredulously. "And you believed him?" she asked.   
"Spike, the guy's name is Arnold Benedict."  
  
"Yeah, so?"  
  
She let out a sound of exasperation. "Arnold Benedict… Benedict Arnold?"  
  
"Isn't that some sort of egg dish?"  
  
Pause. "Didn't you ever study American history?"  
  
I lit another cigarette. "Why should I have?" I asked. "I was born on   
Mars."  
  
Faye sighed again. "Never mind." she replied, climbing up into the Red   
Tail. She hopped into the cockpit, letting out a soft whimper of pain.  
  
"What's the matter?" I asked, not looking up from my cigarette. There was   
no answer. "Faye?"  
  
"N-nothing. I'm fine." she answered quietly.  
  
She didn't sound convincing. "You sure?"  
  
"Yeah, I uh… um…"  
  
"You what?" She mumbled something I couldn't hear do to that fact she   
had powered up her engine. I frowned and climbed into the Swordfish,   
turning on the radio. "You what?"  
  
"I pinched my finger in the door." she snapped. "There. Happy?" I   
smirked at her. "Shut up, it's not funny!"  
  
I closed the cockpit door. "I didn't say anything, Faye."  
  
"You didn't have to say anything. You were thinking it."  
  
I laughed a little. "A little paranoid, aren't we, Faye." It really wasn't   
much of a question and she knew it.  
  
She frowned slightly, turning off the visual. "Whatever, Spike." she   
replied. "Let's just head back to the ship, okay? I… I don't feel like   
fighting with you right now."  
  
Were we fighting? I hadn't realized it if we were. Before I could make   
a comment, Faye ended the transmission, lifting off. I decided to drop the   
matter, following her back to the ship.  
  
=====  
  
  
"Spike-person and Faye-Faye have come back to Bebop!" Edward   
exclaimed, latching herself onto me.   
  
Damn, she was heavy. I guess I kept forgetting she wasn't as small as   
she used to be. "Yeah, Ed," I replied, trying to get out of the tangle of   
arms and legs. "We're back."  
  
"Did Spike-person and Faye-Faye have any luck?" she asked. "Did they   
find the bad bounty-person-man?"  
  
"Sorry, Ed," I replied, feeling a little guilty for having to disappoint her.   
Yet another startling revelation - when did I start caring about kids?   
"We found someone, but not the guy we were looking for."  
  
"Did you find anything?" Jet asked, entering the cabin.  
  
"Nope," Faye answered, sitting down on the couch with a glass of water.   
She drank it and small sips, taking shallow breaths in between. "He might   
be working for our target, but he wasn't exactly forthcoming with the   
information we were looking for."  
  
"I see." Jet replied. "Well, the Bebop's all set for take-off. We can stick   
around here for another day or two or we can head back to Earth - see if   
we can retrace his steps."  
  
"I say we wait a little while." I replied. "I don't think this guy is going   
anywhere for a while. Whaddya think?"  
  
Jet shrugged. "It's okay by me."  
  
"Edward says we stay! Look for more clues!" Ein barked in agreement.  
  
I turned to Faye, whom had her head back on the couch with her eyes   
closed. She winced slightly. "How about you, Faye?"  
  
"Yeah," she replied slowly. "Whatever you say."  
  
I frowned slightly. What the hell was her problem anyway? Rather than   
dwell on it, I got up and headed to the bathroom. There were too many   
thoughts running through my head. My only hope was that a good, hot   
shower would get rid of them, or at least help me figure out how they got   
there in the first place.  
  
Unfortunately, as I thought of all of this, I wasn't really paying attention to   
what was going on back in the cabin. So wrapped up in my own thoughts   
was I that I didn't hear Faye get up and follow behind me, only to collapse   
and fall to the floor.   
  
By that point, the shower was already running, so I didn't hear the worried   
cries of Jet and Ed coming from outside. I was oblivious to it all.  
  
  
=====  
  
"Spike! Spike! Where are you, damnit?"  
  
"Hm?" I poked my head into my room, looking to see where the   
commotion was coming from.  
  
"Jet-person, Edward does not think Spike-person will answer."  
  
"He had better answer - you hear me, Spike! Answer your damn   
communicator!"  
  
I shrugged, rubbing a towel over my hair as I reached into my jacket   
pocket to fish it out. "Okay, okay, you don't have to tell me twice." I   
flipped it on. "Yo."  
  
"Spike! There you are! It's about time!" Jet's voice sounded somewhat   
relieved.  
  
"What's going on, Jet?" I asked, frowning down at the device in my hand.   
"Weren't you just here an hour ago?"  
  
"It's not good, Spike." he replied. "Not good at all." A frown passed over   
the ex-cop's features. It was one of those looks he got when he knew   
something but didn't want to say it.  
  
I frowned impatiently. I was starting to get a bad feeling in the pit of my   
stomach. Where was everyone anyway? "Spit it out already, Jet."  
  
"Spike," Jet replied solemnly. "It's Faye."  
  
By that point, I was already out the door.  
  
=====  
  
  
By the time I reached the small clinic Jet and I had gone to when he got   
shot in the leg, Jet and the others were already out in the lobby. Faye   
was leaning on him for support, holding her side as she winced in pain.   
However, once she saw me, she straightened up, standing on her own   
will power alone.  
  
"What the hell's going on here?" I demanded to know. Everyone remained   
silent. I noticed Jet and Faye exchanged glances, causing my temper to   
rise. It seemed as though the two of them shared some secret that I was   
unaware of it. It had been that way since the mission started. And there   
was nothing I hated more than being kept out of the loop. "Well?"  
  
"Everything's fine, Spike." Faye replied, staring at the floor.  
  
"Like hell it is." I growled, grabbing her by the arm. She winced slightly.   
"If everything's so fine and dandy, then why did you call me down here?"  
  
She stared at me, yanking her arm away fiercely. "First of all," she   
retorted. "I didn't call you here, Jet did. Though I don't know why."   
She shot him a dirty look.  
  
Jet sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Don't worry, Spike," he   
replied. "Everything's fine. It wasn't as serious as we thought it was."  
  
"What wasn't serious?" I asked. "Would somebody please tell me what   
happened?"  
  
Faye frowned angrily. "Not that it's any of your damn business," she   
began.  
  
"Well, since I dragged my ass down here because of you," Faye's frown   
dropped slightly at the emphasis I put on the word 'you'. "It better be my   
damn business, because otherwise I've just wasted a good 20 minutes of   
my time."  
  
She looked a bit hurt by my words, but she recovered quickly - a bit   
quicker than she normally would have. "Well, I hate to say it, Mr. Spiegel,"   
she spat. "But you did waste your time - so sorry." I started to turn away   
but she wasn't finished. "But in case you wanted to know, I was shot. It   
was just a flesh wound - one received trying to save your sorry ass back   
there - not that you'd give a damn anyway!"  
  
I glared down at her coldly. "Well, Faye," I told her coolly. "It seems you   
know me better than I thought." I turned away from her and walked out   
the door, not turning back to see the shattered look on her face as she   
stumbled back into Jet's arms.   
  
Oh, but I gave a damn all right - that's what bothered me so much.  
  
=====  
  
Faye Valentine took a bullet for me?  
  
You may not believe it, but this was the only thing I could think about for   
a good couple of hours. It echoed through my head, fusing itself to every   
fiber in my skull. It pounded on my brain, burning on my soul, and despite   
all of that, I still couldn't believe it.  
  
I mean, why would she do it? No one had ever done anything like that   
before. Granted, I've had people watching my back in a fight, but no one   
had ever gone so far as to put themselves in danger for me - especially not   
Faye.  
  
I suppose I should have been grateful. At one point, I probably would have   
been touched… no, maybe just flattered. Unfortunately, at that moment, I   
was just angry. I was downright furious. I was furious with Arnold for   
shooting at us (I had half a mind to go and track the little shit head down).   
I was mad at Jet for making it seem like such a big deal and for taking her   
to that damned clinic and not a hospital - that creepy little surgeon was   
certainly not gentle while operating or removing bullets. I could picture   
Faye crying out in pain, holding onto Ed and Jet for strength and support.   
Or maybe she was calling out for me…  
  
Whoa… getting off track. Where was I?   
  
Oh, yeah. I was really pissed at Faye for going and pulling a stupid stunt   
like that anyway - after all, she should have just let me take the hit. I'd   
taken much worse than that. She could've been seriously hurt or even   
killed - not that I wanted to entertain such ideas. Moreover, I was really   
angry with myself; one for not taking the hit myself, two for not noticing   
she was injured in the first place, and lastly three for allowing myself to   
feel the way I was right at this instant.  
  
Granted, I'd taken notice of Faye before. Strangely enough, my thoughts   
have often drifted to her ever since I had gotten the idea to get the crew   
back together. In fact, I'd thought of her a lot even before we all got back   
together. It had been subtle at first. I'd wonder where she was, and how   
she was doing. I'd think back to the last time I saw her and wonder if she   
was still upset with me - which she was. Then when I finally saw her   
again, it got to the point where I couldn't stop thinking about her - period.   
The things she did or said, just little things that I really hadn't noticed about   
her before kept coming to my attention.  
  
Though it creeped me out a little bit, I never really minded it that much.   
Even though it seems like I can't stand to be around her, after all this time,   
I've really come to admire Faye. Now that I think about it, that in itself   
isn't that hard to believe. She's, uh… aesthetically pleasing, strong spirited -   
she doesn't take shit from anyone, not even me. Not only that, but also   
she's smart, and she can pretty much hold her own in any situation - most   
of the time. Yeah, her personality sometimes leaves a lot to be desired,   
but she's changed that.   
  
Still, with this whole incident hanging over my head, I haven't been able to   
get that woman off my mind in the last 3 hours! I mean, come on, how's   
a guy supposed to get any sleep?  
  
====  
  
Speaking of sleep, before I know it, I find myself standing outside the door   
of Faye's room. The door itself is slightly ajar and I can see inside. The   
thought of me laying in her bed only a few hours before leaves a strange   
feeling in me - one I really can't identify. I don't think I really want to   
either.  
  
Right now, Faye is occupying the bed. She's resting - her green eyes are   
closed and her short-cropped hair is splayed over her pillow, sort of like a   
purple halo. Her breathing is slow and even so I can only assume she's   
asleep. She's wearing the same clothing as before, though now without   
the jacket, I can see that she was bleeding pretty badly.   
  
I see now why Jet was so concerned. Now, I really feel like a jackass.   
"I let this happen to you." I hear myself whisper. What's going on with me?   
Don't I have control over my own voice anymore?  
  
I can hear her moan softly. She stirs slightly, wincing when she upsets the   
wound a little. She lets out a soft whimper before settling down again.  
  
I can feel my heart go out to her. She's in pain, I know it, and I wish   
somehow I could make it go away. I note how peaceful she looks in her   
sleep; she shouldn't have to go through all this. I find myself wishing I   
could protect her.  
  
That's when it hits me. Like getting hit by a bolt of lightning, I find myself   
stumbling away from the door. The thought is so mind-blowing; I'm   
stunned as to why I didn't realize it before.  
  
"I don't believe it…" I murmur to myself. "I actually have a crush on Faye   
Valentine!"  
  
End of Chapter 8 


	10. Author Intermission - And now a word fro...

And now... a word from (or 100-something) from our spons... er... author.  
  
Hey, there everyone! Nataku-chan here!  
  
::crickets can be heard in the background::  
  
Miss Chang Po - ::the only person in the audience, along with her muse,   
Chang Wufei (who is gagged and tied to his chair) Yay! You go, girl!  
  
::sweatdrops:: Err... right. As I was saying... I just decided to write this  
brief little intermission to tell everyone a little bit about my fic, "That's Why  
They Call it the Blues"--  
  
Wufei - ::free from his gag:: Isn't it obvious? Your fic is--  
  
Miss Chang Po- ::covers his mouth:: Don't mind him. You go, girl!  
  
Uhh... thanks.. Anyway... I noticed that I neglected to give credit for the   
tidbits from songs that are found at the beginning of each chapter. So, I'll do   
that now.  
  
Prologue - "Rain" from Cowboy Bebop, performed by Steve Conte  
  
1 - "In the End" from the album 'Hybrid Theory', performed by Linkin Park  
  
2 - "Cosmic Dare (Pretty with a pistol)" from the Cowboy Bebop movie  
(I don't remember the singer's name, sorry!)  
  
3 - "Blind" from the 'Spider-man' Soundtrack, performed by Default  
  
4 - "Words That We Couldn't Say" from Cowboy Bebop  
  
5 - "Paper cut" from the album Hybrid Theory, performed by Linkin Park  
  
6 - "Is it Real?" from Cowboy Bebop, performed by Scott Mathew  
  
7 - "Bouncing off the Walls" performed by Sugarcult  
  
8- "Blue" from Cowboy Bebop, performed by Mai Yamane  
  
I hope that everyone is enjoying this fic so far. My thanks go out to those   
who reviewed and even those who didn't (don't feel bad, I don't review as   
much as I should either). As long as you're reading and enjoying the fic,   
that's A-Ok with me.  
  
Miss Chang Po - Yay! Woohoo!  
  
::twitches angrily:: Don't you have your own fics to get back to???  
  
Miss Chang Po - Yeah... but I'm stuck... ::whines piteously::  
  
::sighs:: Okay, okay... if any of you out there have any suggestions for this   
pathetic excuse for a---  
  
Miss Chang Po - Hey!  
  
--Talented writer, feel free to send her suggestions. Oh yeah, same thing   
goes for me. If you guys have any suggestions, I'll certainly consider   
including them, giving you credit for them, of course.   
  
Miss Chang Po - Thanks in advance!  
  
Hey, that's my line! Beat it!  
  
Miss Chang Po - ::scitters away, dragging Wufei behind her::  
  
::sighs:: Some people... 


	11. 9 - Deny

Chapter 9 - Deny  
"Today I woke up and you were gone  
The whole day wondering what I did wrong  
It's like I'm falling from a mountaintop  
My heart keeps pounding and it won't stop"  
  
  
"I'm not going there to die… I'm going to see if I really alive."  
  
"Don't go!" Faye's eyes snapped open. She glanced around, taking in   
her surroundings. Realizing she was still in her room, she closed her   
eyes, letting out a sigh of relief. 'I was just dreaming…' She started to   
sit up, letting out a cry as pain shot through her side.  
  
"You shouldn't try to move."   
  
Faye looked up to see Spike leaning against the doorframe. She couldn't   
read his expression due to the fact that his face was hidden in the   
shadows. 'Not that I'd be able to anyway.' She frowned delicately. "What   
happens if I do?"  
  
Spike shrugged, stepping forward into the room. "Suit yourself." He sat   
down on the edge of the bed, not looking at her. "You'll just be giving   
yourself more trouble than it's worth."  
  
"My trouble is worth 160 million," she replied, gritting her teeth as she   
made a second attempt to sit up. 'Damn this hurts!' "I don't have time to   
be laying around!"  
  
"You don't really have that much say in the matter." Spike leaned forward,   
lifting her up so that he could prop up her pillows so that she could sit up.   
After he finished, he moved back to the far end of the bed, looking out the   
door. "Jet says you have to stay in bed today."  
  
"Today?" Faye blinked. "It's tomorrow already?" She looked down   
realizing how ridiculous that sounded.  
  
"You haven't been asleep that long." Spike replied. "I'd say about 13   
hours at the most." To her surprise, he didn't make fun of her.   
  
"Oh," she replied. She was a little put-off by how nice he was being -   
especially after he had blown up in her face the night before. She   
swallowed, glancing up at him under her eyelashes. "I'm sorry."  
  
Spike blinked, 'For what?' He turned his head slightly, not enough to face   
her again, but enough to let her know he was listening.  
  
Faye fiddled with the sheets. "I'm sorry about yesterday," she replied. "I   
didn't mean to hurt your pride or anything like that. I just sort of reacted -   
I wasn't really thinking. I'm sorry."  
  
"No, Faye," Faye looked back up at him. Spike lowered his head slightly,   
staring down at his hands resting in his lap. "Don't be sorry. It's not your   
fault."  
  
"Oh," she replied carefully. "What were you so mad about then?" She   
noticed him stiffen slightly. "If it's about that Arnold guy… I'm sure we   
can catch him again."  
  
Spike stood up, walking over to her dresser. He walked back over to her   
bedside carrying a covered plate of food. "Here you go." he replied, setting   
it in her lap. "I figured you might be hungry."  
  
She really wasn't, but her face softened at the gesture. She looked up at   
him with a small smile of gratitude. "Thanks."  
  
He looked a bit uneasy, but tried covering it up with a smirk. "Don't   
thank me just yet," he replied. "Jet made it."  
  
Faye made a face. "Oh." And to think she almost had an appetite.  
  
Spike sighed, sitting down again. He uncovered the plate, handing her a   
pair of chopsticks. To her surprise however, he did not move his hands   
away afterwards. "You really ought to eat something, Faye." he told her.   
"You need to get your strength back up."  
  
"I'm fine." she replied. Spike looked as though he was about to object,   
so she split the chopsticks apart and began eating. As usual, it was Jet's   
only specialty - Bell peppers and beef - except this time it actually   
contained beef. Surprisingly enough, it tasted a bit better when all the   
ingredients were actually included. After a few bites, she set down her   
chopsticks, touching her side gingerly. Spike looked at her questioningly.   
"It hurts a little," she explained. "But it should be fine in a few days."  
  
"It had better," Spike replied absently. "The medical bill wasn't that   
cheap."  
  
"Bill?" Faye paled. "Oh, God… not another one." She looked up at   
him pleadingly. "Don't worry, I'll pay it back! I promise - I have   
enough debts to pay as it is."  
  
"It's all right," Spike said patiently. "Jet and Ed fronted the bill." He   
smiled slightly, placing the chopsticks back in her hands. "I would   
have done it, but you know Jet. He insisted."  
  
"Why?" Faye's expression was a whirlwind of emotions, confusion   
showing in the forefront.  
  
"Why what?" Spike asked, frowning slightly.  
  
"Why are you doing this?" she asked. "Why are you being so nice to   
me?"   
  
Spike closed his eyes, smirking slightly - more successfully than the first   
attempt. "Well," he drawled. "I figured since Jet and Ed split the bill, the   
least I could do was nurse you back to health. Jet would have been mad   
otherwise."  
  
Faye frowned at him. "Jerk." She looked a little hurt.  
  
"But, then again," Spike continued, opening one eye to glance over at her.   
"Can't a guy show a little consideration to a fellow partner every once in a   
while?"  
  
Faye smirked slightly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Oh, so I'm your   
partner now?" she asked. "Before I was just that tomboy that used up all   
your hot water and ate all the food."  
  
"Come on, Faye," Spike replied. "Things are different now, aren't they?"  
  
She remained quiet a moment, glancing from her plate to him. "Yeah,"   
she agreed quietly. "I guess they are." Silence passed between them   
again as Faye ate her food. When she was finished, she set it down on  
the nightstand next to her bed, taking two painkillers with a glass of water.  
  
Spike glanced over at the plate - she had only eaten half of what was   
there. "Not hungry?" he asked.  
  
Faye shook her head sheepishly. "Tell Jet I said thanks." she replied.  
  
Spike nodded. "Later though."  
  
"What are you going to do now?"  
  
"Exactly what I said I'd do." Spike answered with a grin. "I'm gonna   
keep you company."  
  
"By doing what?"  
  
"I don't know. What do you want to do?"  
  
"I don't know. What do you want to--- no, wait… I know where this is   
headed."  
  
"All right then," Spike replied, standing up. "If you want me to go…"  
  
'No!' Faye's brain screamed; or was it her heart? She reached out to  
him, weakly grasping his fingers. He glanced back at her casually.   
"You can stay." He gave her a curious look. "Just stay and talk with me.   
Please?"  
  
How could he possibly say no when she was looking at him like that?   
Granted, he would have stayed whether she liked it or not. If he knew   
Faye, leaving her alone would not have been one of the best ideas. She   
would either sneak out or try to catch the bounty herself, or steal all the   
food, money, and fuel contained within the ship and throw it all away on   
a trip to a casino. Still, Spike sat back down on the edge of the bed,   
knowing this new Faye would do no such thing.  
  
=====  
  
And so, after Spike finished off the rest of her bell peppers and beef, he   
and Faye spent the following hours just talking. They talked about   
weather, a little about politics, and a little bit about everything and nothing   
in between.  
  
Spike smirked, scratching his head absently. "So, Macy likes Jet, huh?"   
he asked.  
  
"I think so," Faye answered. "You see, Jet used to come and visit me   
when Ganymede was close enough to Mars. Macy, being more for the   
older-sensitive type was a terrible flirt." She chuckled a little. "It got to   
the point where Jet refused to come by the apartment. He'd always   
meet me some place else."  
  
"Poor Jet," Spike said laughing. He paused and glanced over at her.   
"You and Jet are pretty close now."  
  
She blinked slightly; it hadn't been a question. She looked up at him to   
see him giving her one of those blank, unreadable expressions. "Yeah,   
I guess so." she offered. "It's not like we're blood brothers or anything   
like that. I didn't replace you if that's what you're thinking."  
  
"No, of course not." He turned away from her, but that expression was   
still there.   
  
Faye noted that it was the one he made when he didn't want anyone to   
know what he was thinking. She looked down at her hands, suddenly   
realizing how tense the atmosphere had become.  
  
"Can I ask you something?"   
  
Faye looked a little uncertain. "Sure, go ahead."  
  
Spike's expression changed slightly, taking on a look of curiosity. "Why'd   
you leave the Bebop?"  
  
Well, she certainly hadn't expected that one. She thought about coming   
back with, 'why did you?' but thought better of it. Realizing he was still   
waiting for an answer, she sighed, looking out the door. "Tell you what,"   
she replied. "How about we play a game."  
  
Spike raised an eyebrow. "A game?"  
  
"Yeah, sort of like Truth or Dare," Judging by the look on his face, Faye   
assumed he had never heard of it. "You tell me a secret, and then I tell   
you one."  
  
The green-haired bounty hunter seemed slightly intrigued, for he grinned   
slightly. "Any kind of secret?"  
  
"Yeah," Faye answered. She paused slightly, frowning up at him.   
"Nothing dirty, though. Keep your mind out of the gutter."  
  
"Well then, you keep yours out of the sewer and back into the gutter   
where it belongs," Spike countered with a grin. "I wasn't even   
suggesting anything dirty."  
  
Faye looked at him skeptically. "Liar." He feigned a hurt look. "All   
right, all right already. You go first."  
  
Spike looked thoughtful for a moment. He knew what he wanted to   
say, but was considering whether or not he should say it. He   
repositioned himself, leaning back against the headboard so that he   
could sit next to her. "Tell me, Faye," he replied, staring up at the   
ceiling. "Have you ever heard the saying, 'It is better to have loved   
and lost, than to have never loved at all'?"   
  
Faye blinked slightly. "Yeah," she replied slowly. "I'm pretty sure I   
have." She wanted to tell him that quoting literature did not really   
count as a secret, but she was curious to see where he was heading   
with this.  
  
Spike glanced over at her, his mismatched eyes unblinking. "What do   
you think of it?" His face was calm, but on the inside, there were a   
million emotions surging through him, fighting for control. Somehow,   
he needed to hear what she had to say.  
  
"I…I don't know." Faye answered, becoming slightly flustered. Having   
him so close to her was making her heart beat double time. She couldn't   
bring herself to move or look away. She felt a little intimidated; similarly   
to the last time he had been this close to her. 'Damnit, Faye, pull   
yourself together!' she told herself. 'You said you wouldn't let him   
affect you anymore!' She sighed inwardly. 'I lied.'   
  
She looked back up at him to see he was still looking at her. She sighed   
again, "I honestly don't know, Spike." she replied. "I'm really not the   
best person to be asking this to."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because," Faye replied, a little of her frustration showing in her tone.   
"For me to make a comment about a statement on love, I would have   
actually had to have been in love before."  
  
Spike paused a moment. "And you've never been in love before?"  
  
"No." Faye looked a bit uncertain. "At least I don't think I have. Even   
though I have my memory back, there are some little things I don't   
remember." She clenched her sheets in her fists. "Besides, the closing   
thing I ever got to love turned out to be a lie."  
  
"If that's the case," Spike replied. "Than you do have some basis of an   
opinion."  
  
"I guess." Faye replied tiredly. Her pain medication was starting to   
kick in. "All right. In most cases I would have to say it's better to have   
loved and lost. Even though it was only once, if it was true love, at least   
you'd have something happy to look back on for the rest of your days."  
  
Spike watched her eyelids droop slightly. "But…?" She looked similar to   
a little kid fighting to stay awake past her bedtime. He suddenly found  
himself thinking back to the young Faye on the beta tape. Had she ever   
been in love? Had she ever known heartbreak or suffering? Would the   
Faye now ever learn to be as happy as she was? Spike could only hope.  
  
"But…" Faye yawned slightly, trying to make herself more comfortable.   
"For someone who's never known love, it would be better to have never   
loved at all… so they don't know what they're missing…"  
  
Spike glanced at clock on the dresser; it read 9:15 p.m. Jet and Ed would   
be back soon. "I see."  
  
"Do you want to know my secret, Spike?" Spike glanced back at her,   
noticing how weak and frail she looked. Despite her efforts to hide it,   
she looked terribly exhausted. He nodded slightly, gently brushing a few   
strands of hair out of her face, only to have them fall back into place. She   
sighed, closing her eyes. "I'm lonely."  
  
Spike smiled half-heartedly. "That's no secret." he replied gently. She   
made a small murmur of protest. He lifted her up, fluffing her pillows   
gently, taking great care not to upset her. She was already half asleep   
anyway. "Faye?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
Spike leaned close to her, their noses barely touching. "You wanna  
know my secret?"  
  
Faye's breathing slowed as her brows furrowed slightly. "Mmmm?"  
  
Spike smirked, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Faye," he replied,   
just above a whisper. "I'm lonely, too." With that, he rose from the bed   
and walked towards the door. He looked back one more time before   
turning off the lights and closing the door behind him.  
  
Though she was already fast a sleep, a lone tear ran down her cheek.  
  
End of Chapter 9  
  
Author's Notes -  
  
Hi again, guys! Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm so glad you guys   
are enjoying my fic! I thought it was gonna suck (seeing since it's my first   
CB fic). I hope this chapter and the ones following are as good are as   
good as their predecessors! Keep reading, writing, and reviewing!   
  
Much love,  
Nataku-chan 


	12. 10 - Call me, Call me

Chapter 10 - Call me, Call me  
"Call me, call me  
Let know you are there  
Call me, call me  
I wanna know you still care"  
  
Faye Valentine's P.O.V -   
  
"If you had one wish, what would you wish for?"  
"A brand new car!"  
"A billion dollars!"  
"World peace!"  
"A big house and a super model husband!"  
"Lisa, that's two wishes!"  
  
Laughter echoes through the air. I can remember it… all my friends   
from high school, young and energetic. They didn't have a care in the   
world. Why should they have? They had their whole lives ahead of   
them, and so did I.  
  
"What about you, Faye? What would you wish for?"  
  
I can see myself, surrounded by my classmates. I rubbed my chin,   
pretending to be deep in thought as they all looked up at me with   
expectant faces. I grinned at them, loving the fact that I had them   
hanging in suspense. "I want to fall in love," I told them. "I want to   
fall in love with a wonderful man; one who will love me, and trust me,   
and always believe in me - so that I'll never be alone."   
  
My friends were in awe. They thought that was the most romantic   
thing they had ever heard. Of course, so did I, getting that childish   
idea of true love and fairy tale nonsense from books I'd read.  
  
It was just too bad. Wishing for true love is just a waste of time. It's  
nothing more than a childhood fantasy; the fantasy of someone who lost   
her childhood fantasy long, long ago.  
  
=====  
  
I can't stop thinking of him. Whenever it seems I have a moment to   
myself, my thoughts keep drifting back to him. That damned confident   
smirk of his, his goofy hair, and his eyes - especially his eyes - always   
haunt me. Before I would have just chalked it up to me admiring his   
good looks - yes, he's handsome, but I'll be damned if I ever tell him   
that. But now, it's much more than that.  
  
One, two, two, one - I pound my fists against the punching bag in front   
of me. I remember asking Jet about Spike's martial arts. I think I   
remembered seeing a small punching bag in his room and was basically   
asking if I could use it. Sadly, Jet was still in this whole denial phase -   
would you believe I wasn't aloud to even mention Spike's name or   
anything relating to him? - So basically, the answer was no.  
  
One, one, two, two, two, one - granted, I could throw a few kicks and   
punches if the situation called for it, but the whole incident with Aeolis   
made me feel like I was completely useless unless I had a gun. So,   
seeing since I never settle for mediocrity - yeah right - I went out and   
got myself a punching bag (confidentially, I stole from a gym owned by   
a bounty head running a fake lose-weight-quick-scam. It's not like he   
needed it). But anyway, I had Jet set it up in the hangar, which is   
where I would if I wanted to blow off some stress.  
  
=====  
  
"Faye-Faye."  
  
One, two, two, one - Don't lose focus, Faye, keeping punching. Don't   
let your mind wander to that afro-puffed lunkhead.  
  
"Faye-Faye."  
  
Don't lose focus, don't lose focus, Faye, remember - he's not important   
to you at all.  
  
"Faye-Faaayee!!"  
  
"What is it, Ed?" Frustrated, I turn to face her. Unfortunately, I turn a   
bit too hard and too fast, not only losing one of my gloves, but I think I   
pulled a few of my stitches, too. Damn.  
  
Edward, sitting on the ladder of the Swordfish II, looks up at me   
curiously, concern showing in her amber eyes. "Is Faye-Faye okay?"   
she asks worriedly. "Edward does not think she should be exercising   
so soon."  
  
Before I can speak, another voice picks up. "I agree with Edward." I   
cringe slightly, turning to see Spike observing the punching bag.  
  
"Need something?" I ask.  
  
"Not really." He glances at me out of the corner of his eye before   
glancing back at the punching bag.  
  
I sigh - so much for relieving my stress. "Suit yourself." I reply, hunting   
for my missing glove. "Now where did that thing go-oh!"   
  
I look down at my feet, seeing Ein with the missing glove in his mouth.   
I kneel down, glaring at him as I snatch it away. "Give me that." He   
stares at me with those puppy dog eyes of his. I sigh again; "All right, all   
right," I pat his head gently. "Thanks." Rising to my feet slowly, I glare   
up at Spike.  
  
He smiles, holding his hands up in the air. "Don't mind me," he replies.   
"I'm not here."  
  
"Riiight…" I slip my glove back on, only to find the damned thing filled   
with slobber. Yuck... just what I need. Thanks a lot, Ein. I drop it and   
its partner to the ground, resolving myself to finish my workout with my   
bare hands.  
  
One, two, one, two - knowing that he's still staring at me keeps me from   
getting back into the rhythm of my exercise. Still, always one to   
persevere, I do that best I can - at ignoring him that is.  
  
I mean, it's only fair. Ever since the day he kept me company, he's   
gone out of his way to be annoying as possible. If he's not just   
following me around, plucking on my nerves, he's just sitting there,   
preventing me from doing whatever it is I was trying to do. I mean,   
what does he want from me?  
  
"What -do- you want from me?" He looks up at me in surprise, having   
seen me slam my fist into the punching bag nearly sending it swinging   
off its chain.  
  
He smirks slightly. "I didn't say I wanted anything." he replies. "Do I   
have to want something to just sit in the hangar?"  
  
I can feel my eyebrow twitching; the ass is trying to get to me. "There   
has to be something you want," I reply. "Why else would you be   
following me around?"  
  
He has that blank look on his face now, shrugging absently.  
  
"Fine, whatever." I say, giving up. I don't have the patience for this.   
Grabbing my towel from a nearby chair, I wipe the sweat out of my   
eyes. "Where's Ed?"  
  
"Edward is right here!" I look up, seeing her hanging upside down   
from the railing. "Is Faye-Faye in pain still?"  
  
"No, I'm fine, Ed." I reply, feeling Spike's gaze still open me. "Tell me,   
did you find anything new on our target?"  
  
"Sorry," Edward frowns slightly. "Edward could find nothing. Old info,   
it's not very reliable. No new news is bad news."  
  
"Try seeing if you can pull up anything on Arnold Benedict," I look over   
at Spike, who glances back at me out of the corner of his eyes. "See if   
he's been up to anything out of the ordinary."  
  
"Roger, dodger!" Ed salutes him, swinging to and fro.  
  
"While your at it," I add. "See if you can cross reference him to a guy   
named Aeolis. See if they have anything in common."  
  
"Right-o!" Edward exclaims, climbing back up the railing. "Edward will   
get started right away!" With that, she disappears from sight.  
  
"That kid is something else," Spike replies.  
  
"Yeah," I find myself saying. Is it just me, or have I become way more   
compliant than I used to be? "She may be the only one of us who hasn't   
changed."  
  
"Oh, she's changed all right," Spike replies, sitting down in a nearby chair.   
"It's just that it isn't as noticeable as it is with the rest of us."  
  
"I guess." I merely shrug, resuming my exercise. One, two, two, two, one,   
two - without the gloves I can feel the full force of each blow as it   
connects with the punching bag. The cut on my hand still hurts every   
now and then, but since it's covered by the wrappings on my hands, I   
ignore it.  
  
"You're trying too hard." I glance over at him; he's still got that damn   
smirk on his face.  
  
"Well, forgive me, coach," I snarl, hoping that he'll go away. "I can't do it  
right with you staring at me."  
  
He stands up, slowly walking towards me. Before I know it, he's   
standing right behind me, his arms around my waist. "See," he says, his   
voice incredibly low. He grabs my wrists gently, guiding them towards   
the punching bag. "Like this."  
  
"Oh," I'm so stunned, I can barely move. His hands are surprisingly soft,   
but it feels like they're burning my skin. With him this close to me, I can   
barely function; it's like my arms and legs have turned to jelly.  
  
"Faye, Faye… are you listening?" He takes my chin in his hand, turning   
me to face him.   
  
I can only shake my head dumbly. "Sorry," I murmur.  
  
He looks amused. "You're not very good at this, are you?"  
  
Oh, okay, now he's trying to ruffle my feathers. I was doing perfectly   
fine before he got here. Just who does this joker think he is? "And just   
what would you know?"  
"I do know a thing or two about self-defense, Faye." he replies, looking at  
me as if that was a stupid question to ask. Jerk. What do I care if he   
worships Bruce Lee?  
  
"Who said anything about self-defense?" I snap at him. "This is only a   
hobby of mine."  
  
He smirks again. "One that you obviously aren't good at."  
  
That one stung. I can feel my temper rising. I'd show him. I shove   
away from him, catching him by surprise. Rather than walk away -   
which looking back probably would have been the best course of action,   
I turn to face him. "Well then, Mr. Spiegel," I tell him. "If you know so   
much, why don't you show me what you've got?"  
  
He stands there for a few moments, staring at me unblinkingly. Finally,   
when my challenge sinks into his head, he chuckles lightly, closing his   
eyes. "You're joking, right?"  
  
"Spike," I reply evenly. "The last time you thought I was joking, I was   
pointing a gun to your head." Well, that certainly wiped the smirk off his   
face. The ball's in his court now.   
  
"What's a matter?" I grin mockingly. "Too chicken to fight? Poor Spike   
is too afraid to take on lil' ol' me?"  
  
Oh, that got him going. He scowls slightly, tossing his jacket over the   
chair. Fortunately, I don't turn into a puddle of goo when his shirt   
follows after it. I keep my eyes away from his well-toned stomach and   
chiseled biceps adorned with light scars from past battles. I don't want to   
lose my focus. A good fight is just what I need to ease my rattled nerves.  
  
"I hope you realize what you're getting yourself into," Spike replies,   
loosening his muscles. "I don't have any qualms about hitting girls."  
  
"You needn't worry about that, Spike," I tell him, feigning a pout. "There   
aren't any girls here for you to beat up. Just me, the bitch."  
  
He scoffs lightly, putting himself in a fighting stance. As I do the same,   
I gage the distance between us. It appears he does the same, trying to   
see when I'll make my move - that is, if I make the first move at all.  
Well, I guess I shouldn't disappoint him. With quick movements, I lunge   
towards him. I make a sucker punch with my left, coming in for the kill   
with my right. Unfortunately, he sees it coming, blocking it with his   
forearm. He catches my wrist with his free arm, yanking it behind my   
back. I let out a soft exclamation.  
  
"I guess this little game of yours is over already, Faye," he says in my ear.   
He applies a little more pressure to my arm.  
  
Granted it hurts, but I have the sneaking suspicion he's not being as   
harsh as he could be. We'll soon fix that, now won't we? I'm slightly   
double-jointed, so I don't have that much trouble turning around,   
ramming a fist into his gut. To my satisfaction, he lets out a gasp of   
surprise, releasing my wrist.  
  
He backs up a few paces, frowning at me. "Well, if you're gonna play   
dirty," he begins.  
  
I smirk up at him. "It's not playing dirty, Spike," I tell him. Adrenaline is   
coursing through my veins now; I love it! "It's a move from Faye   
Valentine's style of Old School Ass-kicking." I brace myself, preparing for   
round two. "You underestimated me, Spike. Never underestimate me."  
  
He cracks his neck - a habit he knows I absolutely hate. "Fair enough," he   
replies. "If you want it that way, then the gloves are coming off."  
  
"Oh, Spike," I laugh mockingly. "My gloves came off before we even   
began!"  
  
=====  
  
We continue at it for a little while. Spike dodging my hits, dancing   
around me like the whole thing is a game to him. Meanwhile, I keep   
laying in whatever blows I can, easily slipping out of his grasp. He's   
toying with me, I know, and it upsets me a bit to know that if I hadn't   
gotten injured, I would have been faring much better.  
  
I took a bullet for this ass hole - so why am I so angry with him?  
  
"Done yet?" he asks, a slight sheen of perspiration showing on his   
forehead.  
  
"Not even!" I exclaim. Okay, I'm not thinking clearly now. I can   
barely breathe and my sides hurt like bloody hell. Fueled by my anger   
alone I take a sharp jab at him. He steps out of the way in time, but   
unfortunately, my foot catches underneath his boot. Before I know it, I'm   
heading towards the floor.  
  
I close my eyes, bracing for an impact that never comes.  
  
I can feel Spike's arms around my waist now. I never realized how   
muscular he actually was until this moment. "You okay, Faye?" Despite   
my numerous attempts to claw his eyes out, his voice is gentle, showing   
a tinge of concern.  
  
I start to answer, but suddenly, I feel a slight wetness seeping through   
my shirt. Apparently, Spike notices it as well, for he touches it gently,   
eliciting a hiss of pain from me. He draws his hand up to where we   
both can see it.   
  
Blood.   
  
Damnation. I did pull a few stitches after all.  
  
Spike immediately releases his hold on me, pulling me over towards the   
chair. "Have a seat, Faye,"   
  
I scowl up at him, tugging away. I won't take orders from you; I'm still   
angry with you. He glares back at me. "Quit playing games, Faye."  
  
"Who's playing games?" I snap. "Get your damn hands off me!"  
  
He growls and I suddenly find him up in my face grabbing a fistful of my   
shirt. "What the hell is your problem, Faye?" he yells.  
  
"My problem is you up in my face all the time, getting on my damn   
nerves and ordering me around!" I yell back. I'm starting to feel a bit   
lightheaded; all this yelling really isn't helping. "I don't have to take orders   
from you, so leave me the hell alone!"  
  
He looks a bit wounded, but tightens his hold on my shirt. "For God's   
sake, Faye," he says quietly. He stops there, as if deciding not to finish   
his sentence. He lets out a shaky sigh instead, running a free hand   
through his hair.  
  
I blink in surprise, my anger suddenly leaving my body. I certainly   
wasn't expecting this. Spike was speaking in a tone I had never heard   
him speak to me in, let alone anyone else. Not only that, he was   
looking at me with a hurt expression on his face that was slightly   
accusing, partly questioning. What did he want from me?  
  
Taking advantage of my silence, he leads me over towards the chair.   
Forcing me into a sitting position, he kneels down in front of me, his   
gaze never leaving mine. I suddenly feel cornered.  
  
"D-don't," I stammer, trying to break eye contact and failing. "Don't   
look at me like that."  
  
"Like what, Faye?" His gaze is now searching, like he's trying to see   
something in me that I've been trying to hide. I could probably write   
a book about the things I've tried so hard to keep hidden from the word.   
The secrets of my heart, my soul - things that if laid open for the world   
to snatch up and destroy, I would truly be nothing - I would die, waste   
away - I would be empty.   
  
I certainly can't have that; after all, I'm Faye Valentine.  
  
"Don't look at me that way," I say pleadingly. "You were looking at me   
that way… on that day… the day you died."  
  
With his hand resting on my arm, I could feel him stiffen slightly. "You   
really believed I died, Faye?" he asks me quietly.  
  
"You did die!" I exclaim, sounding a bit hysterical. I close my eyes,   
clenching my free arm around my wounded side. This action does not go   
unnoticed by him. He reaches towards my arm, but I yank away from   
him instinctively.  
  
He stares down at my arm for a moment, before glancing back up at me.   
"Do you really hate me that much, Faye?" he asks quietly.  
  
Hate you? Hate you? My God, what has the world come to? "You   
ask me if I hate you?" I exclaim. "Spike, you ruined my life!" His eyes   
register slight confusion and surprise. "You make it seem like Jet is the   
glue that holds us all together, but did you ever stop to consider how long   
it would take for us to crumble without you here?"  
  
Spike doesn't reply.  
  
"We waited for you, Spike." I say. "Weeks - 'he'll be back' we kept   
telling each other, 'he always comes back'. But you never did.   
Eventually we had to give up, we had to go on with our lives." I   
tighten my hold around my waist. "It was hard, Spike, it was so hard!"   
I curse my voice for breaking slightly. "I tried, I tried so hard to forget   
you - to believe that you were dead. I couldn't stand the possibility of   
you being alive and well somewhere - living a happy life with Julia-"  
  
His grip loosens slightly. "Julia's dead, Faye."  
  
"I know she is, Spike! I know she is!" Okay, now I was definitely   
hysterical. All my fears, my emotions, and anxieties were building up   
inside me, threatening to spill over. No matter how hard I tried to shove   
them back down, I just couldn't do it. I just don't have the strength   
anymore.   
  
"I was strong before I met you, Spike," I exclaim. "Or at least I   
pretended to be. You looked down on me, you made fun of me, you   
ridiculed me and still I looked up to you - I trusted you, I believed in you!   
It didn't matter what you said or did to me, all that mattered to me was   
that when you left, I knew for certain that you were gonna come back."   
Tears were rimming my eyes now. I couldn't let them fall; I refused to   
let them fall. There was no way I would cry in front of Spike.   
  
"You ruined my life!" I go on. "You left us, you just turned your back   
on us like you didn't give a damn one way or the other. You left and   
you died because I couldn't stop you. You wouldn't listen to me when   
I warned you because you didn't give a shit about what I had to say -   
nothing I said was ever important to you."  
  
"Faye…" His voice is pleading. He wants me to stop.  
  
I was shaking now; I couldn't see straight. I want to stop, but I can't -   
I'm not in control anymore. All I can see are those mismatched brown   
eyes. One light brown, one dark brown - both looking right through me.   
My soul is open for them to see and there isn't a thing I can do about it.   
"And you ask if I hate you?" I force a laugh. "I could never hate you,   
Spike, ever." I glare up at him, ignoring the sadness in his eyes, blending   
with some other emotion I just can't recognize. "You're the one who   
hates me. You've always hated me, 'cuz I'm Faye - the rampaging   
beast, the shrew woman, the bi--"  
  
The rest of my sentence is cut off as Spike closes the distance between   
us, pressing his lips against my. Shock registers throughout my entire   
body as I can feel a fire ignite inside me. Then, before I know it, the   
world goes black.  
  
End of Chapter 10 


	13. 11 - Shelter

Chapter 11 - Shelter  
"Impatience takes its toll  
It's such a hefty fill for me to pay  
Indifference takes control  
I guess I'll keep that outside of me"  
  
Kick! Punch! Jab!   
  
Jet watched his younger partner with a mixture of awe and concern.   
The ex-cop had always been astounded by the lanky bounty hunter's   
exceptional martial arts skills, but now he was taking it a little bit too   
far. If Spike wasn't careful, he was going to hurt himself.  
  
"Hey, Spike!" Jet called out, trying to keep his tone casual.   
  
"What?"   
  
His tone suggested he really wasn't in the mood to talk about bounty   
hunting - or anything else for that matter. Still, Jet wasn't about to give   
up. After all, Spike was his friend. He could tell whatever was bothering   
him was starting to eat away at him. It wouldn't be long before he broke   
under the pressure.  
  
Jab! Roundhouse kick! Punch!  
  
Jet winced at that last one. The poor bag was sure taking a beating.   
"Hey, take it easy, Spike," he called out. "Faye's gonna shit a brick if   
you wreck her punching bag."  
  
Spike stopped, grabbing the bag to stop it from swinging. Shooting him   
an angry glare, he replied, "Like I give a damn about what Faye wants."  
  
Jet blinked slightly. Ah-ha… "What happened out here anyway?" he   
asked, heading down the steps towards the brooding bounty hunter.   
"What'd Faye do to get her injury bleeding again? She told me a few   
punches on that bag of hers wouldn't hurt it."  
  
Spike scowled, plopping unceremoniously down on the floor. "She and   
I were sparring," he replied grumpily trying to meditate and failing.   
"She overdid it."  
  
Jet stared at him in disbelief. "You were fighting?" he asked. "What   
the hell… did you forget she was shot? For crying out loud, Spike,   
she's not as tough as you are!"  
  
Spike remained where he was, a look of indifference on his face. "She   
certainly pretends to be," he replied, glancing up at him. "And since when   
did you get to be so protective of her?"  
  
Again, he was trying to turn the tables on him. "I treat her the same   
way I treat ever body else," Jet protested. "What's eating you all of a   
sudden?"  
  
"Why did Faye leave the Bebop?" he asked.  
  
Jet blinked. "Spike," he replied, running a hand over his head. "That's   
really not for me to--"  
  
Spike stood up, locking gazes with him. "I know you know, Jet," he   
replied. "So just spill it already."  
  
Jet frowned slightly, averting his gaze. "There was more than one   
reason," he answered. "She didn't exactly tell me all her reasons."  
  
"Humor me, Jet."  
  
"She didn't want to go back into space," Jet replied. "After that one   
bounty she went after went sour, she was kinda afraid he'd come after   
her again. She never did tell me who it was..."  
  
Spike frowned. "So, why stay on Mars?"  
  
"It's not like she could go to Earth," Jet replied. "There's nothing there,   
you know that. If you ask me, I think she was still waiting."  
  
"Waiting?"  
  
Jet sat down in a nearby chair. "I don't know if she told you or not," he   
replied slowly. "But your so called death hit both of us pretty hard." He   
rubbed his human hand over his face. "I guess we expected you to come   
back - like you always had."  
  
"'He'll be back' we kept telling each other, 'he always comes back'."   
  
Spike's frown deepened.   
  
"I gotta admit, Spike," Jet replied gruffly. "It was tough, but eventually   
we were able to move on. Still, it just wasn't the same without Ed, Ein,   
and you."  
  
"I tried, I tried so hard to forget you - to believe that you were dead."  
  
"How'd she take it?" Spike asked quietly.  
  
Jet looked up at him. "Worse than I did, actually." he answered.   
"That's why we had it so hard sometimes. Me with my leg messed up,   
and her pretty much catatonic, it was tough."  
  
"It was hard, Spike, it was so hard!"  
  
"You didn't answer my question though."  
  
Jet sighed. "Look, Spike," he replied. "Don't take my word on this, but   
when I say she was waiting, I mean she was waiting for you."  
  
The stone-face mask slipped. "Me?"  
  
Jet nodded. "I think deep down she believed you were still alive." he   
replied. "She really liked you, Spike. Really, really liked you."  
  
"I know." He was feeling like shit right about now.   
  
"Do you have any idea of the shit I went through? …You ruined my life!"  
  
If only he could find some way to make it up to her.  
  
=====  
  
'That slimey, puff-balled sonuva--gah! How dare he? I refuse to be   
some cheap thrill!'  
  
"Faye-Faye, Edward thinks you aren't listening."  
  
Faye blinked, rubbing her eyes wearily. "You're right, Ed." she replied.   
The two of them road down the high in Faye's car, heading toward   
Tharsis. "Sorry, what were you saying?"  
  
"Edward was saying," the young hacker replied patiently, glancing over   
at her from the passenger seat. "Tomato found info that Faye-Faye and   
Spike-person requested. Edward has lead for Faye-Faye to follow."  
  
"Really?" Faye asked, her spirits lifting slightly. "What've you got?"  
  
"According to Tomato," Edward replied. "Both men have ties to a   
place called the Casablanca Café. It's notorious for being a place   
where shady dealings are made. Bounty watchers say that Arnold   
Benedict has been seen there many times in the past selling stolen   
Bloody Eye."  
  
"Uh-huh…" Faye nodded, studying the road ahead of her. "And this   
info is reliable."  
  
"Of course!" Edward chirped. "That is why Edward is going along - to   
prove it."  
  
"Now what exactly is your plan again?" Faye asked, looking slightly   
concerned. Knowing Edward, her concern was rightly justified.  
  
"It's simple!" Edward answered. "Edward and Faye-Faye go to   
Casablanca, act real cool - natural like. Edward and Faye-Faye pretend   
to sell funky mushrooms."  
  
Faye's eyes nearly bugged out of her skull. "Mushrooms, Ed?" she   
gaped. "What the hell are you thinking?"  
  
"That Jet-person's cooking mushrooms look the same as funky ones?"   
Edward blinked curiously. That seemed to calm Faye down a little bit.   
"Edward just has one question for Faye-Faye, though."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
Edward looked down at herself. Her usual ensemble had been   
replaced with a fuzzy blue sweater, a black mini skirt with matching   
boots and leggings. "Why does Ed have to wear so much clothes?" She   
tugged absently at a headband smoothing her usually wide hair out of her   
eyes.  
  
Faye smirked a little. "If you want to fool a man, Ed," she replied. "You   
have to wear the right kind of disguise."  
  
"Oh, okay." Edward replied, glancing over at Faye's attire - her old red   
jacket and yellow top, only this time she wore tight yellow pants with her   
white boots. "So, why does Edward have to wear shoes?"  
  
Sigh. "Edward…"  
  
=====  
  
Spike scowled slightly, staring at the note posted on the refrigerator   
door. "So, it's field trip day in Tharsis, huh?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess so." Jet muttered, scratching his head. "What I don't get   
is why Ed decided to go with her?" He looked down at Ein, who   
whimpered slightly. It appears that data dog didn't have any answers   
either.  
  
"Well, it's her choice." Spike walked into the main room, plopping down   
on the couch. "So long as she doesn't get herself or Ed shot."  
  
Jet stared over at him. "You mean you're not even gonna go check on   
them?" he asked.  
  
"Why should I?" Spike asked, covering his head with a pillow. "It's   
Girls' Day Out. Obviously they didn't want us to come along. They   
clearly think they know what they're doing so us coming in after them   
would only serve to screw things up even more."  
  
"Whatever," Jet grumbled, heading for the exit. "You and Ein keep an   
eye on the ship, wouldja?"  
  
Spike removed the pillow, glancing up at him. "You going?"  
  
"Somebody's got to." Jet answered, opening the exit hatch.  
  
"Suit yourself." The pillow dropped back into place.  
  
Jet frowned slightly. "Oh, and Spike?" There was silence, letting Jet   
know he was listening. "When I get back with the women, make sure   
you get off your lazy ass and tell Faye whatever it is you have to say.   
This whole 'I don't give a damn' game of yours is getting old." With that,   
he left the ship, leaving Spike to his thoughts.  
  
"Bark!"  
  
"Shut up, Ein."  
  
=====  
  
"Is this the place, Ed?"   
  
Faye had parked her car in an empty alley across the street from   
their destination. The two sat there, watching people come in and out   
of the building. There was no sign, but building had the looks of a   
seedy-looking bar packed to the brim with bounties and lowlives.   
  
"Yup, Edward is a 110% certain. That is the Casablanca Café.   
Whoop!" Edward blinked as Faye tossed her a small gun. "What's the   
bang-bang maker for?"  
  
Faye gave her a look. 'Bang-bang maker?' She shook her head, her   
expression turning gravely serious. "Listen to me carefully, Ed," she   
told her. "If your source is correct, then there's a good chance Aeolis   
is gonna be in there." She looked around carefully, checking her gun   
and stuffing it in her jacket. Another went in a holster behind her back.   
"I don't expect you to use that, but just keep in mind that you have - in   
case things get ugly."  
  
"Edward understands, Faye-Faye," the young hacker replied, a sage   
look passing over her features. "Edward will look out for Faye-Faye."  
  
Faye smiled warmly, ruffling the younger girl's hair. "And Faye will   
look out for Edward." She put on her glasses, her 'let's get down to   
business' mask slipping into place. "Okay, Ed, let's do this."  
  
=====  
  
"What'll it be lady?" A hard looking bartender glared at Faye as she   
stepped up to a bar with Ed at her side.  
  
"Coke and Rum." she replied. Edward tugged on her sleeve, earning   
a bewildered glare from her. "Make that two - one for my friend here…   
just a spritz of rum in hers though." She made an invisible cup out of the   
shape of her hand, bringing and up and down towards her face.   
  
The bartender nodded in understanding. "You got it," He then set to   
work, giving the two of them suspicious glares.  
  
Faye waited, turning her back to the bar so that she could look around   
the room. A mini camera in her sunglasses scanned the room, looking   
for any familiar matches. After a few seconds, she homed in on Arnold   
in the back of the room. She patted Edward on the shoulder, nodding her   
head in his direction.  
  
"Does Faye-Faye want to go after Benedict?" she whispered to her   
casually staring at her boot-covered feet as she swung them back and   
forth.  
  
Faye shook her head. "Let's just see what he does." She kept her gaze   
on him, smirking as he took notice of her, whispering something to those   
in his company. He quickly rose from his seat.  
  
"Your drinks, ladies." the bartender replied, setting two glasses in front   
of them.  
  
Edward let out an exclamation of delight, reaching for her glass only to   
be stopped by Faye. "What?" she pouted.  
  
Faye waited for the bartender to move to the other end of the counter.   
"That guy looks shady," she told her. "Don't drink it." Edward sulked   
slightly. "Besides, you're too young anyway."  
  
"Edward is 15!"  
  
Faye blinked in surprise. "Really?" Vaguely she wondered how much   
else about the young genius next to her did she not know?  
  
"Excuse me, ladies," Faye and Edward looked up to see Arnold and   
another man standing in front of them. "Are these seats taken?"  
  
Faye glanced at him and then the man with him. This man had brown   
eyes, bleach-blond hair and a scar running down one cheek. Though   
she couldn't quite place him, Faye couldn't help think he looked slightly   
familiar. He had a strong build, as if he could move about very quickly -   
possible ex-military, or perhaps an ex-cop… "Who's your friend?"  
  
The man smiled at her, bowing his head slightly. "Valhoun."  
  
"Hmm," Faye smiled. She didn't show it, but this man made her very   
nervous - for reasons she was not quite sure of. "Valhoun and   
Arnold, Arnold and Valhoun. Nice names - they have quite a ring to them."  
  
Arnold was still grinning. "Well, now that you know are names, how   
about the two of you introduce yourselves?" he asked. "I didn't quite   
catch your name the last time we met."  
  
'I didn't throw it, jerk,' Faye smiled coyly. "It's Valentina." she replied.   
"This here is my little sister, Edith."  
  
Edward glanced over at her before grinning at the two men cutely.  
  
"What brings a pair like you two a place like this?" Jack asked, his eyes   
roaming over Faye's attire.   
  
"Well, you know," Faye replied. "Our parents died when we were very   
young, so we were forced to make money to survive by any means   
necessary." She glanced over at Edward. "Right, Edith?"  
  
"Oh yes," Edward wailed theatrically. "Yeesssss!" She waved her   
hands in front of her face, a mushroom appearing in each hand. The   
two men blinked in surprise.  
  
Faye smirked, leaning back against the bar. "Care to do business?"  
  
=====  
  
Jet reached the city in no time, landing the Hammerhead on a building   
rooftop a few yards away from the Casablanca. It was a good thing   
he had placed that tracking device in Faye's car. He knew it would   
have been only a matter of time before she decided to take things into   
her own hands.  
  
'Well, it's not like I actually expected her to not recuperate a bit more   
first,' he thought to himself. 'Still, it's not like the bounty would have   
waited forever.' He walked over to the roof's edge, spotting Faye's car   
tucked away in an alley. His eyes then drifted to the Casablanca itself.   
Just as he did so, he saw Faye and Ed emerge from the exit, flanked by   
a weasel-looking guy with black hair and another with blond hair.   
  
Jet's eyes widened in shock. "Damnit!" He made a dash for the fire   
escape, trying to keep his eyes on them at the same time. Those eyes,   
that gait, and especially that scar - Jet knew that guy! As his feet   
touched the ground, Jet pulled out his gun. His eyes narrowed   
dangerously.  
  
"Aeolis Valhoun - you're not getting away from me this time!"  
  
End of Chapter 11 


	14. 12 - Gotta Knock a Little Harder

Chapter 12 - Gotta Knock a Little Harder  
"Emptiness, a lonely parody  
And my life, another smokin' gun  
A sign of my indifference"  
  
Jet Black's P.O.V -  
  
Valhoun… I can barely believe it. Here I was thinking it would be a   
cold day in Hades before I came across that sorry scumbag again.   
  
"Damn!" I follow behind Faye and Ed, being sure to keep a few blocks   
between us. I can't let the two of them out of my sight. They've no idea   
that they've just stepped out of the frying pan and are about to jump into   
the fire.  
  
Reaching into my coat pocket, I whip out my communicator, immediately   
dialing up Spike. The moron doesn't even have his on - something I don't   
think is accidental. I growl in frustration - the two of us are gonna have a   
little chat later.  
  
Wasting no time, I dial up another number. Within a few moments, my   
old ISSP buddy, Bob, shows up on the line, looking the same as always.  
  
"Jet," he replies, chuckling. "It's been awhile, pal. I heard you retired   
yourself to a life of fishing."  
  
"I still am fishing," I tell him, smirking slightly. "Only this time I've got a   
big bite." He looks at me in curiosity. "Let's just say it's one who got   
away."  
  
"There aren't that many who fit that description," he tells me. "It's not   
very likely that Black Dog lets one get away."  
  
"I wish I hadn't let this one get away," I reply. "It's Valhoun."  
  
Bob stares at me quietly for a few moments. "Aeolis?" he asks. I nod   
in response. "That's impossible. I clued you in on him years ago - I   
thought for sure you had busted him."  
  
"Get serious." I say gruffly. "You know I haven't come across his   
slimy ass since I quit the force."  
  
"You know I wouldn't lie to you, Jet." Bob replies. "I tell ya, I sent   
you a line a few years ago when I heard he was spotted in your area.   
Your partner promised to relay the message."  
  
"Spike?" I frown.  
  
"Nah," Bob replies. "The woman, purple hair… she must've gone after  
him herself."  
  
I resist the urge crush the communicator in my frustration. 'Damnit,   
Faye!' "How long ago was this? Ya gotta tell me."  
  
"I'd say two years ago." Bob answers.   
  
I curse loudly; everything is suddenly starting to piece together.   
Damnit, Faye, why'd you have to go and try to be so noble?  
"She tried to go after'im, didn't she?" Bob frowns when I don't reply.   
"You know what he's like, Jet."  
  
"Yeah," I reply slowly, swiping my hand over my face. "I know, Bob."  
  
"Messed her up pretty bad, didn't he?"  
  
I frown slightly, watching Valhoun smile down at Ed, who is busy   
making little weird gestures. I don't like the look on his face one bit.   
"She survived." Faye and Ed disappear around the corner with Valhoun   
and the little weasel with them. "Shit!" With my free hand I check to see   
if my gun is loaded. I take off running after them. I can't let the four of   
them out of my sight.  
  
"Jet," Bob's voice is calm and even. I glance down at my communicator   
in curiosity. "The bounty on him is only 50,000."  
  
"I don't care about the bounty." I reply. So, he's not the mystery bounty   
head, huh? Too bad, 'cuz it's personal now.  
  
"And in case you hadn't heard," Bob replies. "He's wanted dead or  
alive."  
  
I smirk slightly, ending the transmission. "That's all I need to know."  
  
=====  
  
I already explained before that no one expected any glamour from   
being a cop. After all, our area of jurisdiction was the vastness of   
space. People figured they could do just about whatever they pleased   
simply because they were no longer on Earth. In space, people made   
up their own rules - they did what they pleased.  
  
It came as a big surprise to me when I found out that criminals weren't   
the only ones breaking the law - cops did it every once in a while.   
Granted, some cops had their own views of justice, operating outside the   
stiff laws of the ISSP simply to bring order to the galaxy. Guys like that   
I could respect.   
  
But, like the saying goes, there are two sides to every coin.   
You got guys that break the law to bring justice, and then you got those   
who do it just to bring chaos. Those guys are sort of like Aeolis Valhoun.  
  
I can remember being in my mid-20s when I met him for the first time.   
I was still a little naïve when it came to the hidden politics within the   
ISSP. Still, I had been on the force long enough to earn the rep and the   
name Black Dog. Apparently, I had earned the attention of a few guys   
higher up in the ranks, putting me in line for a promotion - a promotion I   
found out later that Valhoun had had his eyes on.  
  
Of course, he suddenly found a reason to hate my guts. I didn't really   
like him that much either - he was pushy, arrogant, and really had no   
respect for any other human life than his own. Not that I really cared,   
but I guess someone decided it would be funny to pair me up with him   
on a few cases. That's when the proverbial shit hit that proverbial fan.  
  
They called it the Wolf in Sheep's clothing murders. From Venus to   
Jupiter, the police were getting reports of numerous kidnappings/murders -   
all women and children. Of course, when an investigation was started,   
all the victims were last reported being seen with a cop.  
  
What do you say to something like that? My first guess was some punk   
impersonating an officer, but that soon proved to be false. Reports   
indicated the perpetrator was dressed like a real cop - had the badge   
and standard issue gun used by us guys in the ISSP. You can't really   
pick up those things at your local grocery store.  
  
My next guess was the possibility that this guy was a cop killer. It   
made sense, didn't it? Some scumbag bumps off a cop - uses his   
uniform and badge to go wreaking havoc across the galaxy.   
Unfortunately, that didn't fly well either. It turns out when a search   
party was sent out, the criminal always knew where we were going to   
look. It seemed like he was always one step ahead of us.  
  
Still, seeing since I was on the case, there was no way Black Dog was   
gonna give up until this creep was behind bars. I was especially   
determined when my landlord, a nice old lady who baked me a pie   
every Monday, reported that her 16-year-old daughter had turned up   
missing. It suddenly got personal.  
  
Unfortunately, the case wasn't going well, as you could probably   
suspect. My being teamed with Valhoun turned out to be more of a   
hindrance than help. He tripped me up at every step, trying to convince   
me that the case was a waste of time. It was almost as if he was   
deliberately trying to keep me from solving the case.  
  
Would you believe that's when I figured out who the Wolf in Sheep's   
clothing was? Yep, and guess who it was? That's right, it was Aeolis   
Valhoun.  
  
It turns out he was just a sick-o. He started out as a vigilante, taking   
out small-time thugs and bounty heads. When the pickings on them got   
slim, he started preying on the innocent. When the police picked up on it,   
it turned into a game for him, letting him enjoy being one step ahead of us   
at all times.  
  
I tried turning him in of course, but it had taken so long for me to come   
this far. The big wigs upstairs caught wind of the fact that the Wolf was   
actually a cop, and they pulled the plug on the whole operation, allowing   
Valhoun to slip away scot-free. I thought about busting him anyway, but   
that would have meant losing my badge. At that point in my career, I   
didn't want to risk it.  
  
After that, it weighed on my conscience for years that I had allowed a   
monster like that to keep roaming the streets. He had hurt a lot of people,   
including Faye. Today I was gonna make sure it wouldn't happen again.   
  
The Black Dog had bitten and there was no way in hell he was gonna   
let go.  
  
=====  
  
When I caught up to them, Faye and Ed were seated on a bench next   
to an alley. The weasel guy stood behind them while Valhoun stayed in   
the shadows of the alleyway. How like him.  
  
The weasel had something in his hand. I put on my sunglasses, zooming   
in so I could get a better picture. What the Hell… mushrooms?  
  
"And you're sure this is the real thing?" he was asking.  
  
"Of course." Faye replied. "We know a guy who runs a business selling   
them back on Earth. We go back and steal some every now and then."  
  
"Ever tried one?" Faye turns to Valhoun; there's an uneasy scowl on her   
face. Does she realize who this guy is yet?  
  
"Yes, yes she has!" Edward pipes in. "I tricked her once, gave her a   
funky mushroom instead of an eating one. Strange hallucinations!" She   
waved her hands about in a spooky gesture.  
  
The weasel laughed, amused by her antics. "She's a tricky one, isn't   
she?"  
  
"Yeah, she is." Faye replies. "So, are you gonna help us out or not? As   
much as I enjoy your company, Edith and I really need to get back to   
work." She rises from her seat, taking Edward by the arm.  
  
"Hang on a second," Valhoun steps out of the shadows, snatching the   
mushroom out of the weasel's hand. He breaks it in half, sniffing it.   
After biting a piece of it and spitting it out, he looks back up at them with   
a scowl on his face. "Perhaps you have something else you'd be willing   
to sell us?"  
  
Faye takes a step back, placing Edward behind her. I brace myself,   
trying to decide when to make my move.   
  
"Maybe you'd like this!" Edward holds up two small vials filled with   
reddish-purple liquid. The weasel's eyes practically glaze over.  
  
I gawk - that's not what I think it is, is it? Glancing over at Faye, it   
seems she can't believe it either.  
  
"These are the only ones," Edward replies. "But it's good - worth a   
pretty, pretty penny."  
  
Suddenly, the weasel draws his gun, aiming it at Faye's head. "All right,   
honey," he replies with a sneer. "Hand it to me nice and easy."  
  
"No way!" Faye exclaims. "Didn't you hear anything we just told you?   
We need the money!"  
  
The weasel laughs. "Come on now, sweetheart," he says. "What're you   
gonna do with money when you're dead?"  
  
"Don't kill them," Valhoun replies. "Not just yet anyway."  
  
Faye turns her gaze to him. "What do you want?" she asks.   
  
"What I didn't get the last time we met." he answers. Faye frowns in   
confusion. Valhoun raises his hands, smirking slightly. "Don't you   
remember, Miss Huntress?"  
  
Faye's eyes widen in recognition, as well as horror. "Aeolis…"  
  
Valhoun smiles at her, a sadistic smile that makes my blood run cold.   
"That's right," he replies. "You were shaking then, just like you are now.   
I remember it all quite clearly."  
  
Damnit!  
  
Faye grabs Ed by the shoulder. "Run!" she exclaims. Edward does as   
asked, backing up slowly.  
  
"No ya don't, sweetie," the weasel raises his gun. That's when I react.   
My gun is raised and fired, knocking his weapon out of his hand. "What   
the hell?" he exclaims.  
  
Faye looks up, spotting me. "Jet?"  
  
Valhoun looks up in my direction. "Jet?" he replies hoarsely. "Jet Black!"  
  
I don't have time for his sick pleasantries. "Faye, Ed!" I yell. "Get down!"   
Before Faye can oblige, Valhoun grabs her by the throat, yanking her in   
front of him like a shield.   
  
"You still gonna shoot, Black?" he sneers.  
  
"Shoot'im, Jet!" Faye screams, giving me a frightenend, 'don't worry about   
me' look. "Shoot him!"  
  
I start to lower my gun slightly, all the while, Faye giving me a betrayed   
look. At that same moment, Edward lunges forward, sinking her teeth   
into his shoulder. With the slight distraction, Faye wrenches free of his   
hold, punching him in the face before ramming her boot into his gut.  
  
Damn, I'm impressed.  
  
"Come on, Ed!" Faye yells, grabbing her by the hand and running   
towards me. The weasel is already reaching for his gun. I fire a   
few shots to slow him down until Faye and Edward are behind me.   
"What're you doing here, Jet?" Faye demands to know, glaring at me   
as we sprint down the street.  
  
"Why do you think?" I yell back. I probably should have expected this.   
"I know who that guy is!" I shoot her a wry look. "You always manage   
to cross paths with the creepy ones, don't you?"  
  
Faye doesn't reply. "Why didn't you shoot?" she asks after a few   
moments. "You could have."  
  
"And shoot you, too?" I reply with a snort. "Forget about it. When I   
get tired of dealing with your shit, -then- I'll shoot you."  
  
She snorts back, smirking haughtily. "Whatever you say, old man--"  
  
"Jet-person! Look out!" Edward pushes the two of into an empty alley   
as a volley of shots whiz by us.  
  
"Good looking out, Ed." we both reply in unison. Faye reaches in her   
jacket for her guns, peeking around the corner to fire a couple of rounds.   
  
As she pulls back, I resume firing. The weasel is firing back, and   
Valhoun is getting back on his feet. He's got a phone to his ear, calling   
for back up no doubt. "Who's the weasel?" I ask.  
  
"Arnold Benedict." Faye answers. "Spike said he used to work for the   
Syndicate."  
  
"The Syndicate?" I ask bewildered. Well, that explains the connection -   
Spike knows the weasel from the Syndicate, I know Valhoun from the   
ISSP, and Faye stumbled across him as a bounty head. Now the two of   
them are working together. Does that mean Arnold's the bounty head?   
If that's the case, how does Edward fit in?  
  
"Do you know either of those guys, Ed?" I ask, glancing back at her.   
She's busy rustling through her backpack, pulling out several little green   
vials. I don't even think I want to know what those are for.  
  
"Edward has never seen either of them before now," she answers.   
"Only you, Spike-person, and Faye-Faye." She frowns, pulling out one   
last vial. "Neither of them are the bounty-head."  
  
"How do you know?" Faye asks.  
  
"Because," Edward answers, "Edward thinks she knows who the   
bounty-person is."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Later," the red headed hacker replies, taking one of the vials. She holds   
it in the air, inspecting it carefully. A grin passes over her face.  
  
"And what the hell is that supposed to be?" Faye asks, slightly   
frustrated.  
  
"Faye-Faye will see," Oh boy, that 'I'm a genius/slightly psychotic   
hacker' look is on her face. Somebody pray for us. "Where is Faye-  
Faye's car?"  
  
"About three blocks back that way," Faye points. "We'll never make it   
through all that gunfire."  
  
"Not only that," I add. "But I think our friend over there just called for   
reinforcements." Just as I speak, a black car stops in the middle of the   
road. Several black-suited men get out, armed to the teeth with guns.   
"Shit."  
  
The young hacker giggles, leaving Faye and I a little concerned. I wish   
she'd let us in on the joke. "Leave everything to Edward." she replies.   
She takes two of the little vials, tossing them into the air. "Shoot them!"   
she exclaims.  
  
"What?" Faye gawks.  
  
"Just shoot them!" The two of us do as she says, shooting the little vials.   
A loud explosion is heard as green gas shoots out all over the place.   
"Edward says its time to beat feet!"  
  
The three of us take off, using the confusion caused by Ed's little   
creations to get as far away as possible.  
  
Within a matter of minutes, we're back across the street from   
Casablanca. Faye stops and turns to Ed, a bewildered look on her face.   
"What the hell was in that vial, Edward?"  
  
Edward smiles up at her curiously. "The red one or the green one?" she   
asks.  
  
"Red…?" Faye blinks, suddenly remembering. "Oh yeah!" She shakes   
the young girl slightly. "How did you manage to get a hold of Bloody   
Eye?"  
  
My jaw nearly drops to the ground. "That was Bloody Eye?"  
  
Edward giggles, shaking her head. "Not Bloody Eye," she answers.   
"Watered down nail polish." You could have knocked us over with a   
feather right there and then. "Edward sold them all the time - Edward   
used money to feed Edward and Ein when looking for father-person."  
  
This girl - though incredible at times - really scares me. No wonder   
they called her Radical Edward… some of the shit she pulls…  
  
"Okay, okay," Faye interrupts, deciding not to dwell on the matter.   
"What was in the green vial?"  
  
Edward scratches her head thoughtfully. "Edward thinks it could be   
one of four things," she replies. "The green vials are either sleeping   
gas, stink bombs, smoke screen, or homemade nerve gas."  
  
"You mean you're not sure!" Faye exclaims. "Ed, you could've killed   
us!"  
  
"Um… sorry?"  
  
A few bullets ricochet off the wall over head. I peek around the   
corner - those black cars are speeding down the street towards us.  
  
"Edward guesses it wasn't nerve gas after all." she muses.  
  
"I guess not!" Faye grits her teeth, jumping into her car. Edward   
follows suit. She turns to me. "Come on!"  
  
"I got the Hammerhead." I reply. "Take off!"  
  
"Can you get to it?" she asks.   
  
"No problem," I tell her. "It's sitting above you."  
  
"Well then, old man," Faye replies with a slight smirk. "Move your ass."   
I give her a small frown. "Ed and I will cover for you." Before I can   
even object, she starts her car, peeling rubber as she tears out of the   
alley. I can hear Edward's excited squeals over the loud roar of the   
engine.  
  
As they drive away, I smirk to myself, slowly climbing the ladder. "Those   
two sure are something else."  
  
End of Chapter 12  
  
Author's Notes -   
  
Hey there, guys! Sorry for keeping you waiting. I wanted to stcik to   
updating two chapters at a time, but it seems as though I'm having a bit  
of trouble getting chapter 13 started. Go fig... it starts focusing in a little  
bit more on Spike (not that we haven't done that already, but what can I say  
he's just so much fun!... not like that .=P )   
Chapter 13 - Don't Speak 


	15. 13 - Don't Speak

Disclaimer - I don't own Cowboy Bebop. Don't try suing me.  
  
Chapter 13 - Don't Speak  
"I really feel  
I'm losing my best friend  
I can't believe  
This could be the end"  
  
"Ed! Are they still behind us?" Faye yelled out over the sound of the   
engine and wind rushing by as they sped down the street. She really  
needed to get her engine tuned, but now was not the time to think about   
such things. "Ed?"  
  
The young hacker, who was fiddling with some mechanical device hidden   
in the depths of her backpack, looked up and opened her mouth to speak.   
She was, however, interrupted as a shower of bullets ricocheted off the   
pavement around them. Faye swerved out of the way and onto the   
sidewalk to avoid losing a tire.   
  
Edward glanced into the rearview mirror, seeing the several black cars   
speeding behind them. "Um, Edward would have to say yes!"  
  
"All right," Faye frowned. "Desperate times call for desperate measures.   
You almost ready?"  
  
"Edward needs a couple more seconds."  
  
A bullet whizzed by Faye's ear, shattering her rearview mirror. "Damn!"   
She pressed the gas pedal to the floor. "Edward, 'a couple more seconds'   
isn't something we have right now!"  
  
"Um… sorry?"  
  
=====  
  
"…Forgotten thoughts of yesterday, through my eyes I see the past. I   
don't know, I don't know, I don't know why… I believe, I believe in the   
truth, from inside."  
  
Spike opened his eyes, a disoriented look on his face as he stared around   
the room.  
  
"Go away, go away, go away, from me… Leave me alone --"  
  
He groaned slightly, grabbing the remote control from its spot on the floor,   
turning off the television. "There's nothing good on anyway."  
  
"Whimper… bark, bark!"   
  
Spike sat up and gave Ein a long scowl. As usual, the dog didn't even   
flinch. "What do you want?" he asked. "As smart as you are, I hope you   
don't expect me to feed you." He blinked slightly. "Hmph, I'm starting to   
sound like Faye." He flinched slightly, setting his feet on the floor.   
Staring down at the table in front of him, he saw two empty beer bottles   
and a packet of cigarettes with no cigarettes in them. "So, this is what   
she's reduced me to…"  
  
Ein barked.  
  
"What?" Spike replied. "I hope you're not suggesting I'm worried about   
her - or Jet and Ed, because I'm not. They can handle themselves just   
fine without my help." He withered slightly under the dog's gaze.   
'Pathetic, I can't even lie to a dog.' He got up, depositing the empty   
bottles and the cigarette package in the trash.   
  
However, rather than heading back to his seat on the couch, Spike decided   
to roam about the ship. Granted, there were still parts of the ship that   
remained untouched and undiscovered by himself or the others, but it felt   
strangely comforting to wander about the ship, looking and touching things   
he hadn't seen in three years.  
  
'Three long years,' he thought to himself. He sighed, rubbing his neck   
absently. "I should've come back a helluva lot sooner." Ein whimpered,   
wagging his short little tail as he followed behind him. "So, you agree,   
huh? Even though you and Ed left before I did."   
  
Ein barked again, causing Spike to look up. To his surprise, he found   
himself standing in Faye's room.   
  
"Here again, hm?" Spike chuckled ruefully. "Well, Faye Valentine, it   
seems no matter what I do, there's just no escaping you."  
  
=====  
  
"Person, Faye-Faye, person!" Edward exclaimed.  
  
"I see'im!" Faye exclaimed, yanking the wheel to the right. Her car   
swerved, narrowly missing a pedestrian crossing the street as they sped   
around the corner. The pedestrian yelled a stream of curses as they drove   
out of earshot.  
  
"Edward did not know some of those," Edward mused.  
  
"Neither did I," Faye admitted, keeping her eyes on the road ahead.   
"Don't go repeating any of them though, I don't want Jet thinking I'm a   
bad influence on you or anything," She paused, frowning slightly. "Not   
that I'd care…"  
  
Edward giggled. "Edward thinks Faye-Faye is silly!" she exclaimed.   
"Edward also thinks she is ready!"  
  
"Really?" Faye asked, her face lighting up. However, it dimmed slightly   
soon afterwards. "Wait a minute, whaddya mean 'thinks'? Are you sure   
this is gonna work?"  
  
"Edward is almost positive." she answered. "It worked on Bebop-Bebop."  
  
"All right, Ed…" Faye replied with uncertainty. She whipped out her   
communicator, holding it to her ear with her free hand. "Jet, you there?"  
  
Elsewhere, the Hammerhead's port and starboard thrusters came to life,   
lifting the craft into the air. Bullets rained and ricocheted off of the ship's   
hull, leaving nothing more than little dents.  
  
Jet picked up his communicator. "Yeah, I just took off." he answered,   
watching his scope for any sight of Faye's car. "Where are you guys?"  
  
Though there was no visual, Jet could hear Ed and Faye's car tires   
squealing. "I nearly took out the road sign for 5th and DuBois." Faye   
answered. "We're still about 20 minutes from the port."  
  
Jet cursed softly. At this rate, they weren't going to reach it. "Damn."  
  
=====  
  
Spike sat down on the edge of Faye's bed, glancing around at his   
surroundings. Despite how complex the woman seemed at times, Faye   
appeared to have very simple tastes. Though Spike had never been inside   
her room during their time on the Bebop, it seemed as though Faye really   
hadn't changed that much since she claimed the room as her own.   
  
There were a few plants sparsely placed around the room, a tiny rose   
bush on her dresser and a small bonsai tree sitting on her nightstand - a gift   
from Jet no doubt. Several boxes remained stacked neatly in the corner   
while some of Faye's outfits hung over the closet door. The comforter on   
her bed was a soft blue - fluffy and very comfortable as Spike had realized   
earlier.   
  
'It smelled like Jasmine,' Spike mused to himself. 'Just like she does.' He   
paused, wondering how he had known that. Granted, he was sharp when   
it came to things like that, but there were very few occasions when he   
had been close enough to her to pick up on such things.  
  
Suddenly, he began to chuckle softly. Before long, his chuckles turned   
into all out gales of laughter. Tears of mirth began forming in his eyes.   
Ein, whom was sitting at his feet, cocked his head to the side.  
  
"I don't believe it," Spike breathed, after his laughter began to subside. "I   
didn't want to believe it before… but I really have fallen for Faye." He   
scratched his head. "I mean, here I am, sitting in her room… just thinking   
about her - like I always do." He sobered slightly, closing his eyes. "What   
I don't understand is…"  
  
Ein was listening intently, almost as if he knew what Spike was going to   
say.  
  
"I just don't understand. Why?"   
  
====  
  
Faye rounded Holmes and Market, using her side-view mirror to take   
blind shots at the cars behind her. Occasionally, she would get lucky,   
taking out a tire or a mirror, but still that was not enough to slow them   
down.  
  
"I'm getting sick of this!" she exclaimed. "Ed, have you got that stuff   
hooked up yet? Gimme one of those green vials you cooked up."  
  
"Can't," Edward replied. "Edward just used the last one."  
  
"Damn." Faye replied, biting her lip.  
  
"Faye-Faye and Edward have no choice," Edward replied. Though there   
was a grin on her face, her tone was very grave. She whipped out a little   
makeshift joystick. "It's Edward's turn to drive!"  
  
"Heaven help us!" Faye exclaimed. Faye was not a very religious woman,   
but she crossed herself anyway, muttering bits and pieces of the few  
prayers she knew. When she finished, she slammed her boot down on   
the brake. She turned the wheel as hard as she could, fishtailing the car   
in the middle of the street before finally coming to a stop. There they sat,   
facing their pursuers who were less than a half of a mile away.  
  
"Faye, Ed," Jet's voice came over the communicator again. "I lost your   
position, where are you?"  
  
"Ed?"  
  
"Faye-Faye knocked over a sign reading Holmes and Market." Edward   
replied.   
  
"Did you hear that, Jet?"  
  
"Yeah," Jet answered. "You sure don't drive well under pressure, do   
you?"  
  
"You know what, Jet? Kiss my ass!"  
  
"Kissee, kissee, wissee!" While Faye was struggling to reload her gun,   
out of one of the closer car windows emerged a gunman, aiming at them.   
Edward, taking out the gun Faye had given her, took aim and fired.  
  
Hearing a gunshot, Jet frowned with worry. "You two in trouble?"  
  
Faye, though very impressed with Edward's excellent aim and precision,   
looked at the cars coming towards them with increasing concern.   
"Sort of."  
  
"Try getting away on foot," Jet replied. "I'll be there in…"  
  
"Forget that!" Faye exclaimed, hugging her wheel possessively. "There's   
no way I'm letting those hoods trash my car! It's a classic!"  
  
Edward laughed nervously.  
  
"Faye," Jet groaned. "Now is definitely not the time to get attached to   
your worldly possessions. Name a spot for me to pick you guys up."  
  
"Never mind that, Jet," Faye's voice held an edge of nervousness and   
amusement to it. "Ed and I got it under control."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Edward grinned. "Is Faye-Faye ready now?" she asked.  
  
Faye put on her sunglasses, smirking lightly. "As much as I'll ever be." she   
replied. "But first…" She took out a disc, putting it into a disc player. "A   
little something to lighten the mood."  
  
Edward stared at the antique device in fascination. "Faye-Faye is playing   
classical music to soothe her nerves?"  
  
Jet blinked, listening in. "Classical music?"  
  
Faye laughed. "Not quite." With that, she pressed play.  
  
Jet nearly lost control of the Hammerhead, startled by the cacophony of   
sound bombarding his ears. A loud banging guitar riff filled the cockpit, as   
Faye's CD began playing…  
  
I'm gonna get free  
I'm gonna get free  
I'm gonna get free  
Ride into the sun  
  
"Now, Ed!" Faye exclaimed.  
  
"Righty-o, Miss Faye-Faye!" Edward squealed. She yanked down on the   
joystick in her hands, the car once again coming to life. Untouched by   
Faye, the steering wheel and gas pedal seemed to move at their own   
accord, sending the car careening towards their pursuers.  
  
She never loved me  
She never loved me  
She never loved me  
Why should anyone?  
  
Edward laughed with glee, wiggling her elbows in the air. "Time for a   
game of Chicken!" she exclaimed. "Buck, buck, Ba-cawww!!"  
  
Faye laughed nervously. However, once the cars started swerving out   
of the way, her confidence quickly returned. "Keep it up, Ed!" she   
exclaimed. "It's like a shooting gallery - you line'em up," She reached   
down behind her seat, pulling out a long rifle. "And I'll take'em out!"  
  
Come here, come here, come here  
I'll take your photo for ya  
  
Come here, come here, come here  
Drive you around the corna  
  
Come here, come here, come here  
You know you really oughta  
  
Come here, come here, come here  
Move out of California!  
  
As Edward maneuvered through and around the pursuing cars, giggling   
madly as if she was winning some car racing game, Faye was busy   
cocking her rifle, blowing out tires as they passed along.  
  
After a few moments, a ship could be heard overhead. Quick to react,   
Faye raised her gun to the sky, only to see the Hammerhead hovering   
above them.  
  
"Whoa there, woman," Jet replied. "Put that thing away before you hurt   
somebody!"  
  
"Quit your whining, old man!" Faye grinned, yelling into her communicator.   
"When I get tired of your shit, then I'll shoot you!"  
  
Jet laughed. "You two got this," He looked down at the select few still   
left shooting at the two vehicles. "Or do you want me to take care of it?"  
  
"Well, we don't want to hog all the action," Faye replied, feigning   
graciousness. "By all means, go right ahead."  
  
Jet chuckled, activating the Hammerhead's crane, shooting its hook into   
the last remaining car. He lifted it into the air, swinging it over the heads   
of the remaining gunmen. "All right," he barked over the loud speaker.   
"Who still wants some?"  
  
As Edward swung the car around, still giggling madly, Faye muttered   
dryly, "Men."   
  
The car came to a stop and Faye hopped out, just in time to notice   
Arnold and Valhoun duck into an alley.  
  
She smirked to herself, tucking her gun into her jacket. She ran after   
them, cocking her rifle. It looked as if the hunt was just beginning.  
  
=====  
  
It was almost like one of those bad Mexican standoffs. Arnold was   
down, leaning against the wall clutching a bullet wound at his shoulder.   
Faye scoffed lightly; he'd live. Valhoun however…  
  
"I see you're not unarmed this time, Valhoun." she remarked dryly,   
eyeing the gun in his hand.  
  
"You're observant." Valhoun replied. "I have to say you've put up more   
of a fight than you did the last time."  
  
Faye smirked. "I guess you could say I've learned a few more tricks."  
  
"Really?" Valhoun grinned. "I'd like to see some of those. Put down that   
little pop gun of yours and let's see what you can do."  
  
Faye cocked her rifle. "Not likely."  
  
Arnold, who had been watching the whole scene unfold, slowly   
scrambled to his feet in hopes of escaping unnoticed.  
  
--Click!-- "Ah, ah, ah." Edward grinned down at him cutely as she held   
her gun to his temple. "Edward does not think it would be good for you to   
move right now."  
  
Faye grinned. "Well, there you have it."  
  
"Shoot him," Valhoun replied. "See what I care. The only reason I   
haven't done it was because I had orders not to."  
  
"Orders?" Faye looked up to see Jet standing beside her, his gun raised   
as well. "Orders from who, Aeolis?"  
  
"Back off, Jet!" Faye exclaimed. "I wanted to bust him."  
  
"Take a number, Faye." Jet replied with a scowl. He fired, hitting   
Valhoun slightly to the right of his heart.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?" Faye cried out. "You can't kill him!"  
  
"This guy has caused a whole lot of trouble for a lot of people," Jet   
replied evenly. "Ruined a lot of lives… and for what? Some sick thrill?!"  
  
Valhoun chuckled, clutching his wound. "What're you gonna do, Black?"   
he asked. "Kill me? Your little huntress friend would be out of a bounty…   
it'd be a shame, too… what with her risking her life last time to get it for   
you."  
  
"Shut the hell up!" Jet roared, pointing his gun down towards him as he   
stepped in front of Faye in a protective-like gesture. "You weren't even   
our original target, but you know what? I don't give a damn about any   
bounty! I promised myself I'd find your ass one day and now I have!   
Luck just so happened to be shining on me today, Valhoun. Do you know   
why?" Valhoun remained silent. "Even though you're only worth 50, 000 …   
you're wanted dead or alive."  
  
Valhoun rose to his feet, rasping and chuckling, blood oozing from his   
wound. "You gonna shoot me, Black?" he asked. "Take revenge for all   
those innocents I've slain? And the two-bit thugs… you gonna avenge   
them, too?"  
  
"They didn't deserve what you did to them," Jet said with a sneer. "They   
were nothing compared to what you are… You're lower than the dirt   
beneath my shoes."  
  
"Then shoot, my friend!" Valhoun laughed. "Shoot me now! In cold   
blood! You kill a fellow cop… and you're no better than I am!"  
  
Jet scowled. "Ed, turn away, now!" He began pulling back on the   
trigger.  
  
Valhoun snickered, whipping a gun out from the folds of his trench coat.   
Before he could even pull the trigger, both Jet and Faye fired, quickly   
sending him into oblivion.  
  
Jet scowled, turning away from his lifeless body. "You're not a cop," he   
said slightly above a whisper. "And neither am I… not anymore."  
  
Faye let out a heavy sigh of relief, silently thanking the benevolent deity   
that had been watching over them. "Rest in peace, Valerie," she   
murmured.  
  
"Yeah," Jet added. "Same thing goes for you, Melinda." Faye glanced   
over at him. "That goes for you, too, you know."  
  
Faye smirked. "I'm not dead yet." she replied nonchalantly. "After   
sticking around in this lifetime for close to 80 years, a little scuffle like   
this one isn't gonna send me packin' so easily."  
  
"Hey!" Jet and Faye turned their attention to Arnold, whom Edward was   
now standing upon growling as she held him at gunpoint. "Couldja get this   
thing off of me!"  
  
"Hey!" Faye snapped. "Just because she isn't exactly cute little Edith-"  
  
Jet blinked. "Edith?"   
  
"-doesn't make her a thing." Faye pointed her rifle at his torso.  
  
"Wh-what do you want from me?" Arnold exclaimed.  
  
"Answers, of course." Jet replied. "So I suggest you start talking, or else   
we're just gonna have to leave you in young Edith's tender loving care."  
  
Edward growled and barked.  
  
=====  
  
Spike opened his eyes. Moving his hands away from his face, he looked   
up, staring at his reflection in a stand-up mirror hanging on the wall across   
from him. His expression was one of fear, sadness, and confusion. "I fell   
in love with Julia… I swore to love her until the day I died… I thought if I   
could just be with her, I would cherish her forever…" He glanced down at   
his hands. "She died in my arms, leaving me thinking that I had nothing left   
to live for - aside from killing Vicious." He looked up, speaking more to   
himself than to Ein. "Suddenly I find myself alone, thinking of what never   
was and what might possibly be. Now, I find myself here again living the   
same old life, only the story has changed completely. I'm still tied to the   
past, only the past is different."   
  
His gaze wandered from the mirror to a picture resting on Faye's dresser.   
As he stared closer, he saw a picture of Faye standing between Macy and   
Jet. With her arms wrapped around the two men's necks, she winked as   
she made a kissy face towards the camera. Though Jet looked a bit   
uncomfortable being so close to Macy, Faye almost looked genuinely   
happy.  
  
"Yeah… he and Jet kept me sane."  
  
He frowned, turning away. "This is ridiculous!" he exclaimed. "What's   
wrong with me?" He turned to Ein. "I can't just go walk up to her and say,   
'Hey, Faye? Even though you're a shrew woman and I ridicule you every   
chance I get, but guess what, I think I'm in love with you!' Do you have   
any idea how stupid that sounds?" Ein made a whimpering sound. Spike   
scowled slightly. "Why am I asking you? You're just a dog!" He rubbed   
his hands through his hair in frustration. "Aargghh! I can't take this   
anymore!" He got up, storming out the door. "It's time to settle this   
once and for all."  
  
He entered the cabin in determined strides. Grabbing his jacket and his   
gun, he marched up the stairs and opened the hatch, only to be glomped   
by a tangle of arms and legs.  
  
"Spike-person!" Edward exclaimed. "Spike-person, Spike-person! You   
missed all the fun-fun!"  
  
"Fun?" Spike blinked, trying to keep his balance as he slowly made his   
way back down the stairs with Edward still attached to him.  
  
"Yeah, it seems Edward had a real blast," Jet replied, coming down   
the steps. "Gunfights and car chases, sex, drugs, and alcohol - seems   
like she got to see it all on her first big hunt."  
  
"You make it sound like some demented baby book," Spike muttered,   
looking slightly flustered. He had been worried about them after all.  
  
Jet walked towards him, noticing his jacket and gun in his hands. "Going   
somewhere?" he asked with a smirk.  
  
"Not really." Spike answered, looking away. "So, how'd it go?"  
  
"Edward will tell Spike-person everything!" Edward exclaimed. "First, it   
was Faye-Faye and Edward at the Casablanca Café! Edward and   
Faye-Faye order drinks and scoped out for bad guys. Faye-Faye spots   
Arnold, but he comes to us with Aeolis Valhoun-,"  
  
"Aeolis?" Spike asked with a frown. "You guys saw Aeolis?" He   
immediately noticed Faye's presence was absent from the room.  
  
"Yeah," Jet replied, sitting down on the couch, lighting a cigarette. "It   
seems Faye and I both had a score to settle with him."  
  
"I see…"  
  
"-Edward and Faye-Faye follow bad-persons out of Casablanca cuz   
Edward pretended she and Faye-Faye were sisters selling funky   
mushrooms to survive cuz we were orphans all alone in the world.   
Alone, alooone!" Edward released her hold on Spike, dropping to the   
floor for effect. She however, jumped up again, clomping around in   
her boots as she continued her story. "Edward tried to sell   
mushrooms to Valhoun-bounty-person but he wasn't fooled, so   
Edward tried to sell fake Bloody-eye to Arnold, but then Arnold   
turned a gun on us and was like, 'Give Arnold Bloody-Eye or Arnold   
will shoot you!' and then Faye-Faye says, 'No way! Weren't you   
listening? We need that money!' And then Jet-person shows up! After   
that there were explosions, and shootings, and car chases! Oh, and   
Edward caught Arnold!"  
  
"Really?" Spike asked, thoroughly amused by Edward's tale. However,   
as he listened, he let his eyes roam around the room.  
  
"Oh! And guess what, Spike-person!" Edward exclaimed.   
"Faye-Faye says Edward can keep the clothes - except the shoes,   
because Edward does not like wearing shoes." She yanked the boots off,   
depositing them on the floor as she glided around in her stockings.   
"Edward likes to wiggle her toes, toes, toes." She stopped, turning to Jet.   
"Does Jet-person think Edward can keep the bang-bang gun, too?"  
  
"Hell no!" Jet replied, thrusting his hand out, taking the weapon from her.   
"I'll hold onto it until you need it again. The last thing I need is for you   
to accidentally shoot Ein or something." The bark that came from Ein's   
spot next to the couch almost sounded indignant.  
  
Spike laughed, rising out of his seat to stretch. With that, he dug his   
hands into his pockets and began walking away.  
  
"Hey, Spike." The lanky bounty hunter stopped, looking back at Jet.   
"We really could have used your help today."  
  
Surprisingly enough, he looked guilty. "Yeah," he replied quietly,   
glancing away. "Sorry 'bout that Jet. You, too, Ed."  
  
"It's okey dokey smokey, Spike-person!" Edward exclaimed, sliding   
around giddily with Ein in her arms.  
  
"Yeah, well," Jet began, rubbing his bald head with his human hand.   
"I guess I better get dinner started. Is Sukiyaki okay?"  
  
"Yay!"  
  
Spike smirked. "Whatever you want, Jet." he replied. "Though I think   
I prefer Faye's cooking over yours."  
  
Jet laughed heartily. "You and me both," he agreed. "Unfortunately,   
she's down in the hangar moping over the damage done on her car."   
He glanced up at him with a 'you know what you have to do' type look.  
  
Chuckling softly, Spike made his way towards the hangar. "Whatever   
you say," he called over his shoulder. "Dad."  
  
Jet blinked for a few moments, watching Spike's retreating back. He   
smiled and chuckled to himself. "That lunkhead."  
  
End of Chapter 13 


	16. 14 - Ask DNA

Author's Notes - Okay, I just want to apologize in advance for the   
all-out suckiness of this chapter. First off, it's a lot shorter than my  
other chapters (I also apologize for the delay on the update... writer's  
block), and I'm pretty sure that Spike (and possibly Faye) is extremely  
out of character. Please try to bear with it though, it does get better...  
I think! =)  
  
Chapter 14 - Ask DNA  
"You can be cool or you can cry  
Do it wrong  
Not at all  
Or do it right"  
  
"Crap… look at all this broken glass… Oh! And look at this! They   
dinged up the hood like crazy! My poor baby! What am I gonna do?"  
  
Spike entered the hangar, stopping in bewilderment at the scene before   
him. Flitting around like a wet hen was Faye, appraising the damage   
done to her car, the 'Swordfish III', as he had come to call it mentally.  
  
"Damnit!" Faye scowled, prying open the hood of her car with a crow   
bar. "If I had known it was gonna be like this, I would have taken the   
Red Tail! I sure as hell know Jet can't fix this… now I'm gonna have   
to do it myself!"  
  
Spike opened his mouth to speak, but stopped suddenly losing his   
nerve. 'What's the matter with me?' he thought to himself. 'Why can't   
I just come right out and say it?' He sighed inwardly, heading back   
towards the exit.  
  
"Now, where have I seen this scene before?" Spike looked up to see   
Faye with her back facing him. He could see his own reflection in her   
windshield. She turned to face him, her face an expressionless mask.   
"Do you need something?"  
  
Spike shrugged absently, walking towards her. "I heard you guys   
busted Arnold and Aeolis." he replied.  
  
"Yeah," Faye replied. "Aeolis was wanted for 50,000." She dug into   
her coat pocket, pulling out a money card. "Here's your cut."  
  
Spike blinked, catching it in one hand as she tossed it to him. "I didn't   
even do anything."  
  
"If you hadn't ID'ed Arnold as an ex-Syndicate member," Faye   
explained. "We never would have made the connection."  
  
"I see." Spike replied, lowering his head. "Sorry 'bout that."  
  
Faye didn't flinch, continuing trying to open her hood. "Sorry?" she   
repeated. "Spike, there's a million and one things you could possibly be   
sorry for - you're gonna have to be more specific than that."  
  
Spike scowled, trying his best to keep his temper in check. "Is that a   
fact?" he gritted.  
  
Faye succeeded in prying open her hood, stepping back as a cloud   
of smoke rose up. "Damn… overheated." She brushed her hair out   
of her face, glancing up at him. "Well, yes. Take for instance, the   
fact that you pretty much stood us up today and the fact that you   
kissed me without my permission." Spike flinched inwardly. "Or was   
there something else you were sorry for."  
  
"Faye…"  
  
"What do you want from me, Spike?" Faye asked, watching him   
carefully. "What is it you really want from me… aside from   
tormenting me by messing with my head and my heart?"  
  
'Her heart…?' "Look, Faye," Spike replied, choosing his words   
carefully. "I'm not really one for words… so I'm not really sure   
how to say this."  
  
"Try, Spike. Try really hard." Her green eyes narrowed slightly.  
  
Spike cleared his throat, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry, okay?" he   
said. "I'm sorry for all the things I've put you through. If I had   
known back then how you felt about me… I never would have   
caused you so much trouble."  
  
"How I felt about you?" Faye replied, dropping her crow bar to the   
ground. Fire was blazing in her eyes, causing Spike to step back   
slightly. "Don't be so damned conceited, Spike! You have no idea   
about what I felt, what I thought, or who I was. I was a pebble in   
your shoe, a nuisance…"  
  
"That's not true!" Faye blinked; now it was her turn to step back.   
Spike took another deep breath. "I may have said and done a lot of   
things, Faye," he replied softly. "But I didn't hate you… that's about   
as far from the truth as you can get."  
  
"What are you saying?" Faye asked quietly.  
  
"I'm saying I admired you, Faye," Spike replied. "I've run across a lot   
of women in my life, and I can say a great deal of them weren't really   
worth knowing." He chuckled slightly. "It seemed a lot of the woman I   
came across were nothing but talk and bad attitude."  
  
"Except for Julia." Faye interrupted.  
  
Spike didn't respond to that. "When Jet and I came across you in that   
casino, you proved my generalization to be correct - just another   
smart-ass woman who talked a lot of shit, walking herself into a   
situation she couldn't get out of. Just another liar with a bad attitude,   
nothing but trouble." Faye looked hurt, but before she could reply,   
Spike continued. "Still, after you forced yourself into our lives, my   
opinion of you slowly began to change. Granted, I still thought you   
were a bad liar, with too much talk and way too much attitude, but   
you had a lot of spirit, too - I respected that.   
  
I found that the more I got to know you, the more I came to realize   
that despite all the stuff you had gone through, you were still   
determined to do what you had to do no matter what. Even though   
half of the time you were in over your head, you still managed to come   
out on top most of the time - you persevered, as you said."  
  
Faye smirked slightly.  
  
"That's why I liked arguing with you so much." Spike opened her car   
door, sitting down in the driver's seat. "You refused to take my crap -   
even when I came at you with both barrels." He chuckled. "I thought   
that was what I'm was going to miss most about you when I left that   
day."  
  
"Is that all?" Faye asked, her voice sounding a bit snippier than she   
would have liked.  
  
Spike paused, considering leaving it at that. He glanced at her out of   
the corner of his eye; she wanted him to finish. "No," he answered.   
"I just missed being around you."  
  
Faye staggered slightly, pressing her hand against the car for support.   
She stared into his mismatched eyes, looking for any traces of deceit -   
to her surprise, she found none. "I don't…"  
  
"During all the time I spent on the Bebop," Spike replied. "I could   
never really focus on what was going on right in front of me." He   
looked up at her, a look of regret on his face. "Like I told you before,   
I could only see patches of reality-,"  
  
"'But never the whole picture.'" Faye finished. "I remember."  
  
"Yeah," Spike replied. "That was a lie." Faye blinked in confusion.   
"It wasn't my eye that wouldn't let me see reality - I made myself   
that way. I was still so tied to the past that I didn't want to think   
about anything else. I had done a lot of things I wasn't proud of, I   
wished I could have done a lot of things differently. I just thought   
that if I had the chance, I would go back and make everything right…   
so I could finally get my peace of mind."  
  
"So, that's why you left." Her voice still held an edge of bitterness to it.   
Spike nodded slightly; at least now she was starting to understand.  
  
"When Julia died in my arms," Spike watched Faye as she flinched   
slightly. "I was ready to throw in the towel - after I killed Vicious, that   
was gonna be it. I wanted to end it all… the running, the dreaming, all   
of it."  
  
Faye clenched her fists, feeling the car's cool metal surface against her   
skin. "You wanted to die," she replied quietly. "You didn't go to see if   
you were alive or not."  
  
"You're right." Spike admitted. "It was like nothing mattered to me   
anymore - except revenge that is."  
  
"So you killed Vicious." Faye replied. "What then?"  
  
"I died." Spike answered simply. "Or rather, I realized that I was   
dead - and had been for some time."  
  
"I thought so." Faye replied, slamming the hood of her car shut. "So,   
what now? Are you some kind of ghost? A zombie perhaps?   
What're you gonna do, Spike? Suck my blood? Eat my brains, drain   
my energy… some bizarre crap like that?"  
  
Spike laughed. "You're not listening, Faye."  
  
"The hell I'm not!" Faye snapped. "What're you doing, Spike? Why   
are you telling me this bull? Are you gonna leave again? Just like   
before?"  
  
Spike sobered. "Is that what you want me to do?" he asked.  
  
Faye remained silent for a time.  
  
"I told you, Faye," Spike replied. "I'm not really good with words… I'm   
trying to explain it to you… but it seems it's not coming out right." He   
got out of the car, walking around to the front so he could stand face   
to face with her. "You keep asking me what I want," he replied quietly.   
"But, what is it you want, Faye?"  
  
Faye looked down at the ground, clenching her fists. "What… I want?"   
she repeated.  
  
"Mm-hm."  
  
"I want to understand." she replied. "I want to know if these feelings   
I have are real… not just shadows of what I used to feel." She   
shuddered slightly. "I want to know why you always confide in me   
when other time you act like I'm not even here." She looked back up   
at him. "I want to know why you came to meet me face to face,   
rather than e-mailing me like you did Jet and Ed--," The rest of her   
sentence was cut off, as Spike placed his hands on her shoulders.  
  
He was smiling down at her, his mismatched shining in amusement.   
"Is that all?" he asked.  
  
Faye looked up at him, a bewildered look on her face. "I want to   
know if you're really here," she told him. "I want to know that I'm   
not dreaming this moment - that I won't wake up and find you gone!   
Do you really understand what it's like to want something so badly,   
knowing that it's just within your reach - only to have it snatched   
away right before your eyes? I want you to stay this time, Spike.   
Don't die again…"  
  
Spike shook his head slightly. "Everyone's gotta die some time,   
Faye." he replied.  
  
"Don't patronize me." Faye scowled. She took a step forward,   
wrapping her arms around his waist. Needless to say, Spike was   
startled, but he didn't pull away. "I didn't want you to go, Spike. I   
didn't want you to die… but I didn't try to stop you. I knew you had   
to save Julia. You loved her, after all. She was all that mattered to   
you." She heard Spike sigh softly, taking his hands off of her shoulders.   
Fearing she had gone to far, Faye began to pull away.  
  
"Don't." Spike wrapped his arms around her, pulling Faye into a loose   
embrace.   
  
Faye began shuddering again, shutting her eyes to hold back the tears   
threatening to fall. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I won't mention her   
again, I--"  
  
"No," Spike cut her off. "I meant don't go yet… I wasn't finished." He   
looked down at her, smiling gently.  
  
"What else were you going to say?" Faye asked, not looking up at him.   
Her heart was pounding in her throat - she was so afraid she was   
dreaming this whole moment, that it would end too abruptly.  
  
"I did some thinking while you guys were out," he replied. "Actually,   
that's pretty much all I've been doing since I got here."  
  
"What about?"  
  
"About the fact that I should have come back a long time ago." Faye   
looked up at him questioningly. "I've finally managed to come to terms   
with what happened with Julia and Vicious… that chapter of my life   
has finally been closed. But, I'm still tied to the past… my past here on   
the Bebop. Just like you, this is the only place I felt I could really belong."  
  
"Then why'd you stay away so long?"  
  
Spike paused a moment. "Ask me that again some time." he answered.   
"That's another entirely different story."  
  
"Okay… so, what happens now?" Faye asked.  
  
"Now, I tell you what I've been trying to tell you for the longest time."   
Spike pulled away, holding Faye at arm's length. "Faye Valentine," he   
replied. "I think I'm in love with you."  
  
End of Chapter 14  
  
Author's Notes -  
  
Sucked, didn't it? ::ducks for cover:: Don't hit me! Again I apologize!   
I tried really hard not to make it like those fics where Spike or Faye   
just blurt out their feelings and then live happily ever after (not that   
there's anything wrong with those...). Just try to keep in mind, Faye   
hasn't responded yet... there's still room for conflict! Yay!  
  
I hope everyone is still enjoying this fanfic so far. It makes me really   
happy to read your reviews saying this is the best fic you've read.   
::major ego swelling:: Personally, I've read a lot of CB fics that I think   
are a million times better than mine, but I'm glad you like mine, too.  
  
So, next time, how will Faye react to Spike's admission? What   
happened Arnold? Does Ed really know who the bounty is, and will   
the Bebop crew be able to bust him and get their 160 million woolongs?   
Will Nataku-chan ever stop asking all this dumb questions and get the   
next chapter updated so her readers can figure out these answers for   
themselves?   
  
Next time, Chapter 15 - Artificial Sweetener 


	17. 15 - Artificial Sweetener

Author's Notes - Sumimasen, minna-san! I am so, so sorry for keeping   
you guys waiting for so long! I'm sure you guys weren't ripping your  
hair out in anticipation, but I am sincerely sorry for slacking off. Y'see...  
  
Miss Chang Po - All right, let's hear her excuse...  
  
It's not an excuse! Y'see, I took a break from writing on my birthday  
to go shopping (I bought a Cowboy Bebop manga! Very funny, I suggest  
you get it ^_^) and I just sorta slacked off on my updates. Not ot mention  
I got serious writer's block for chapter 15... (why's it always the odd  
chapters??) Oh yeah, thanks for sending such great reviews! (I even got   
one on my b-day! Fancy that!)  
  
Miss Chang Po - Stop babbling and start writing!  
  
Oh yeah... sorry. Here we go, the next installment of Cowboy Bebop.   
Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 15 - Artificial Sweetener  
"You really deserve love  
I want to love you  
But I can't seem to find myself"  
  
Jet nearly swallowed the cigar he was smoking. Tossing it in the   
ashtray on the table, he coughed and hacked, trying to clear the smoke   
out of his lungs. Tears formed in his eyes as he stared at Spike in   
disbelief. "You did what?" he sputtered.  
  
"I told her," Spike answered simply, a slightly despondent look on his   
face. He glanced up at the ex-cop. "You okay?"  
  
"Yeah," Jet replied hoarsely, patting himself on the chest. "I just don't   
believe it… You told Faye, Faye Valentine that you loved her?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"And you meant it?"  
  
Spike frowned. "Why would I say it if I didn't mean it?"  
  
Jet frowned slightly. "I don't know, Spike," he replied. "You can be   
kinda tricky sometimes."  
  
Spike blinked in disbelief, rising out of his seat. "You think I'm playing   
some sort of sick game with her, Jet? Is that it?" he demanded. "You   
know what, I don't even know why I even bother. I thought you'd be   
able to help me out here, but you're still too damned busy playing 'Daddy   
Dearest' to give a shit."  
  
"Hey, now, Spike!" Jet replied, frowning up at him. "You're out a line.   
I told you before that I don't treat Faye any differently than I treat   
anybody else."  
  
"Yeah?" Spike frowned. "Seems like you guys have become good   
friends, old chums moping around here seeking comfort from each   
other after my so called death."  
  
"Spike!" Jet rose out of his seat, grabbing the lanky bounty hunter by the   
collar with his robotic hand. "You don't know shit about what happened,   
so just shut the hell up!"  
  
"How am I supposed to know jack shit when everyone's skulking   
round here with their secrets, like I'm a damn ghost not even here!"   
Spike yelled back.  
  
"For all I know, you are a ghost!" Jet replied. "You show up out the   
blue, not even bothering to tell anyone where you've been or what the   
hell happened to you. People need time to adjust, Spike - you can't just   
expect things to be just like they used to be!" He paused, looking at   
Spike, whose anger had already faded away, replaced with his 'I'm upset,   
but I don't want anyone to know it' look. He let go, taking a step back.   
"She told you the same thing, didn't she?"  
  
Spike looked away, sitting back down on the couch. "She didn't believe   
me."  
  
Jet sighed, looking down at the floor. "She probably thinks you still love   
Julia." he suggested.  
  
"Of course I still love Julia." Spike replied. "But I can't grieve over her   
forever, that's what got me killed last time." He looked down at his hands.   
"I've already put those demons to rest… I'm ready to move on with my   
life."  
  
Jet remained quiet for some time. "You're really serious about this."   
It wasn't really a question.  
  
Spike nodded. "I wasn't gonna lie to her, Jet." he replied. "A piece of  
me still belongs to Julia - a piece of me I'll probably never get back. It's   
different with Faye though, not like Julia at all."  
  
Jet sat down on the couch, lighting another cigarette. "Think of it like   
this," he replied. "You told me about the tiger-striped cat that died a   
million times, right?"  
  
Spike ran his hand over his eyes. "Jet…"  
  
"No, no, no," Jet waved his hand. "Just hear me out." He took a few   
drags on the cigarette. "The tiger-striped cat dies only to be reborn   
again. Though he believed he died a million times, it turns out he'd   
miscounted - he still had a few lives left up his sleeve. He roams the   
land, trying to find his niche in life. In his travels, he finds himself back   
at the home of one of his previous owners."   
  
Spike looked up at him skeptically.   
  
"He expects to find everything as he had left it, but it turns out things  
have changed - a lot. He feels out of place, out of the loop so to speak.   
He tries to adjust, to live his life without the events of his other past   
lives plaguing him - like the white cat, for instance." Jet let out a puff   
of smoke, watching the little tendrils rise in the air.  
  
Spike watched him intently. "Go on." he replied.  
  
Jet glances at him calmly. "Anyway, the tiger-striped cat misses the   
white cat, trying to keep a place for her in his heart while trying to move   
on with his life. As he does this, he meets a black cat."  
  
"A black cat, Jet?"  
  
"Yes, a black cat, Spike." Jet answers. "It was said that black cats   
were owned by witches, they rode on the back of their broomsticks as   
they flew through the skies on All Hallow's Eve." He paused. "To   
superstitious people, black cats became a sign of bad luck - especially if   
they happened to cross your path. So you see, with this bad rep, black   
cats were often subject to mistreatment and abuse.   
  
This particular black cat was no exception. So used to being beaten,   
abused, and neglected, the black cat found it very hard to trust people,   
leading her to a life of solitude. However, when she came upon the tiger   
striped cat and his owner, she thought things were going to be different.   
You see… she had come across the tiger striped cat in another life, when   
he was with the white cat. The black cat knew what it was like to lose   
something important, so she tried to help him as discreetly as she could -   
after all, she was still afraid of getting to close in case things didn't   
work out."  
  
"So, you're saying this black cat had feelings for the tiger striped cat,   
but was afraid of getting hurt?" Spike suggested.  
  
"That remains to be said," Jet answered. "Though it's a possibility, it   
really doesn't matter. Should anything have happened between the   
two cats, the black cat would forever remain in the shadow of the   
white cat in the tiger striped cat's heart."  
  
Spike frowned. "You mean to say that Faye feels threatened by Julia,   
even though she's dead?"  
  
Jet lit another cigar. "I didn't say anything about Faye." he replied. "I   
was talking about cats." He took a few puffs. "But after all, you hate   
cats, remember?"  
  
With a snort, Spike leaned back on the couch. "So, what's the moral of   
this story?"  
  
Popping up behind him with her goggles and Tomato in hand, Edward   
replied. "Edward thinks the tiger striped cat should have handled the   
situation a bit differently."  
  
"What situation?" Spike asked.  
  
"Telling the black cat that he loved her." Edward answered.  
  
"Wait a sec… that wasn't in the story…"  
  
Edward continued, "The black cat knows that the white cat still holds   
a piece of the tiger striped cat's heart, even though she is long gone.   
By telling the black cat that he loved her, the tiger striped cat has the   
black cat believing she is only second best. She does not believe the   
tiger striped cat's feelings are true because he has never shown her   
that he felt anything for her. She feels like he is directing the love of   
the white cat towards her. It's almost like she's a-"  
  
"A substitution?" Spike and Jet exchanged glances. This kid was   
definitely a lot sharper than they had given her credit.  
  
"Right." Edward answered, nodding sagely. "Edward thinks it is similar   
to Murphy's Law."  
  
"Yeah… right." Spike frowned absently, although he was deep in   
thought.  
  
"So…" Jet began. "Ed, you said earlier that you knew who the   
bounty was."   
  
"That's right, Jet-person." Edward replied. "Edward knows exactly   
who the bounty-person is."  
  
"By all means then, tell us." Jet replied. "Oh, wait, go get Faye first."  
  
"No need… Edward already told Faye-Faye." Edward replied.  
  
== Flash back ==  
  
"Go, go, go! Me, me, me! Do your best, do your best, don't give up!   
…No matter what, I'll always be cheering for you right here…"  
  
With a resigned sigh, Faye turned away from the old Beta player,   
falling back into a laying position on her bed. Her legs dangling over   
the side of the bed, she stared up at the ceiling for a few moments,   
saying and taking in nothing.  
  
"Faye-Faye?"   
  
Faye looked up, two amber eyes staring down at her in sympathy.   
Sympathy? That was something new… "What's up, Ed?"  
  
"Edward was wondering where you went." the young hacker sat   
down next to her casually, fingering strands of Faye's violet hair.  
  
Normally Faye would have told her to stop, but this time she didn't   
seem to mind. Edward, with her innocent antics and childish   
enthusiasm, often reminded her of someone's little kid sister. Did   
Edward have any siblings? Idly she wondered if she herself had had   
any after she was placed in cryo-freeze.  
  
"Is Faye-Faye sad about the beta-box?" Edward asked, watching the   
warbled image on the old machine.  
  
"Sad?" Faye sat up, gazing over at it. "No, not really."  
  
"Oh." Edward replied. She glanced back over at her. "But Faye-Faye   
is sad about something, right?"  
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
Edward rubbed her chin thoughtfully, staring at the screen in front   
of her. "Because Edward looks at the old Faye-Faye and does not   
think she is as happy as the young Faye-Faye was."  
  
"Maybe," Faye frowned slightly, turning off the beta-player. "But she   
and I are two completely different people."   
  
"But the young Faye-Faye said that she was a part of Faye-Faye."  
  
"Maybe it's time for me to throw that thing out."  
  
Edward remained quiet for a moment, staring at her booted feet.   
"Edward has a question."  
  
"Shoot, Ed."  
  
"Can Edward keep the clothes?"  
  
Faye blinked a moment, before breaking out into gales of laughter.   
When she managed to calm herself down, she ruffled the young   
hacker's hair slightly. "Sure thing." she replied. She smiled, chuckling   
softly. "Thanks, Ed."  
  
"No problem, Faye-Faye." Edward smiled back, though she had no   
idea why Faye was thanking her.  
  
== End of Flashback ==  
  
"Hang on a sec," Spike replied, a little irritable due to the whole   
situation. "That doesn't explain anything about the bounty."  
  
"Spike," Jet frowned disapprovingly. The younger bounty hunter only   
snorted in response.  
  
"Edward was getting there," Edward replied. "But Edward just so   
happened to be rudely interrupted by the tiger-striped   
Spike-cat-person--"  
  
"Ed…"  
  
"Okie-dokie, cue the next flashback, Ein!"  
  
"Bark! Bark!"  
  
== Flashback ==  
  
He was screwed. No, scratch that - he was oh-so-screwed. The   
mission was a bust; he had been shot, and his partner was lying on the   
ground a few feet away - dead no doubt. To make matters worse, he   
had been busted by a bunch of nutty bounty hunters. First, there was a   
feral, gun-toting shrew woman who used 20th century music in   
psychological warfare (AN - think of "Flight of the Valkyries" and you'll   
understand). Next came an one-armed gunslinger that shot first and   
asked questions later. Last, but certainly not least, there was a   
hermaphroditic demon-child with violent animalistic tendencies.  
  
What did he do to get into these messes?  
  
"Hey, there!" Arnold felt the cold steel of Faye's gun barrel being   
pressed against his throat. "You're not talking." She smiled sweetly.   
"That wasn't part of our deal."  
  
Arnold swallowed. "Deal?"  
  
"Yes," Jet answered. "You tell us all you know, and we don't hurt   
you."  
  
"B-b-but…"  
  
"Cut it out," Faye said with a frown, growing impatient. "Grown men   
don't stutter."  
  
"I already told you," Arnold protested. "With your boyfriend, I don't   
know anything about anything!"  
  
"Obviously," Faye replied, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Cut the game," Jet growled. "We know you're hiding important   
information from us - information we need."  
  
"Information that will keep bad-man healthy!" Edward added.  
  
"What is it you wanna know?" Arnold asked meekly.  
  
"We want you to tell us about your boss," Faye answered. "We want   
to know all about them. Name, age, address, phone numbers -   
everything! We want to know why they hired you and what it is   
they're after!"  
  
"But…"  
  
"Damnit!" A fire was shot, leaving a gaping hole in the brick wall next   
to Arnold's head. Faye was ablaze with fury. "Listen here, pal… I   
don't have time to deal with your crap! I've got enough shit to deal   
with now… So just tell us who Thanatos Ragnorok is before I have to   
blow your freaking head off!"  
  
Jet took a step back. "Whoa."  
  
Arnold was in tears. What was it about this woman that reduced him   
to tears so easily? Granted, he was no Arnold Swarzcheneggar, but   
this chick scared him!  
  
"Okay, okay, I'll talk!" he sobbed. "I got a call a few months back, a   
guy said he was looking for somebody familiar with Syndicate procedure   
and protocol… he was looking into launching a big selling of Bloody Eye   
in the Mars area."  
  
"We want names, weasel." Jet growled.  
  
"He called himself Thanatos… I don't know about the Ragnorok part,"   
Arnold answered. "As far as I know, Thanatos is his real name. He's   
got a big mob underground set up on Europa."  
  
"So, let me get this straight," Faye murmured. "He hired you to look for   
potential dealers and buyers here and Mars."  
  
"That's right!" Arnold exclaimed. "I was used to it, so I pretty much   
had a knack for it - I was the best man for the job."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Faye interrupted. "And what about Aeolis?   
What was his part in all this?"  
  
"He was my back up." he answered. "He knew how to get us out any   
scrapes if the cops got involved." Jet scowled. "Not only that, but he   
was a decoy."  
  
"A decoy?"  
  
Arnold smirked a little. "Yeah, that's what I said." he said, regaining a   
little of his confidence. "You guys are bounty hunters, right? I thought   
you would've realized that by now."  
  
Jet scowled, clenching and unclenching his robotic hand. "You've got   
jokes, huh?" he replied. "Let's see how much you're laughing when the   
cops find you stuffed in a trashcan."  
  
"No, wait!" Arnold exclaimed. "I wasn't finished!"  
  
"Explain how Aeolis was a decoy."  
  
"I don't really know that much about Thanatos to tell you the truth,"   
Arnold replied. "You see, I've never actually met him face to face."   
Faye and Jet scowled. "All I know is that the guy is tricky. He picked   
Aeolis to be my back-up because he had a criminal record pretty close   
to matching his own."   
  
Faye scowled bitterly.   
  
"People say he's a criminal mastermind… hatching all these schemes   
and sending guys like us to go and carry'em out. When his lackeys   
get busted, their records show up with all these felonies and   
misdemeanors on them, even if they didn't commit them."  
  
"So, this Thanatos-person is a hacker, too?" Edward mused.  
  
"Wait a sec'," Faye replied. "If what you're saying is true, why'd you   
agree to work for him?"   
  
"He's a dangerous guy," Arnold replied. "Nobody's ever been able to   
bust'im… I figured it was an easy deal - I mean, the guy's loaded; he   
pretty much runs Red Mafia."  
  
"The Red Mafia?"  
  
Arnold scoffed. "The Red Mafia is made up of the remnants of the old   
Syndicate." he replied. "Didn't Spike tell you about that?" Jet and Faye   
exchanged glances. "Man, you guys don't know anything!"  
  
"Shut up!" Jet growled, yanking him to his feet. "I think we've heard all   
we needed to hear."  
  
Faye glared at Arnold. "Thanatos - where can we find him?"  
  
Arnold winced in pain. "I told you, I don't know much about him." he   
replied. "Your best bet is Europa seeing since that's where his base is."   
He frowned. "I wouldn't recommend it though, a lot of hunters have   
tried tracking him down and failed. You go up against him and he'll   
kill you for sure."  
  
"Well, I'm sure I really don't care much for your concern," Faye   
drawled, holding her rifle over head as she stretched. "I'm pretty sure   
it isn't necessary." She winked at him coyly. "We're gonna bust this   
guy, no matter what it takes."  
  
End of Chapter 15 


	18. 16 - You Make Me Cool

Chapter 16 - You Make Me Cool  
"You can't persuade me to play your game  
You turn your nose up whenever I'm acting the same  
The way I move is oh so smooth, I'm cool  
I know you want to hold me, Cool Kat"  
  
"So, there you have it," said Jet, eyeing Spike to see his reaction.  
  
Spike sat, unmoving with his arms folded over his chest. "I didn't   
know about the Red Mafia." he replied.  
  
"That's bullshit, Spike. Both you and I know it."   
  
There was silence for a moment. "Jet…"  
  
"You know what, Spike, forget it." Jet cut him off. "I never really   
tried that hard to figure out your past before, and I'm not gonna start   
now. It's sure to save me one less headache."  
  
Spike scoffed. "Whatever." He turned instead to Ed, who was busy   
typing away on her computer. "So, since we sorta know who our real   
target is, how does that explain how you know who it is?"  
  
"That's simple!" Edward replied. "When Edward first became a   
hacker-person, Edward had a bounty-head friend named Madame   
Hotaru. Edward never knew before why she was wanted for 5 million   
woolongs. Buuut…." She paused, her skinny fingers flying over the   
keyboard of her tomato. "Edward learned not too long ago that   
Madame was an extreme feminist… really extreme. She wanted to rig   
Earth's satellites to home in on the DNA signatures of every male in the   
system, eradicating them completely."  
  
Spike blinked. "Shit…" He blinked again. "That's really creepy…"  
  
"I fail to see how this has to do with our bounty, Ed." Jet replied.  
  
"Edward is getting there." the young hacker sing-songed. "A couple   
years back, Madame contacted Edward. She warned Edward that   
somebody was trying to track her and hurt her because she used to   
be a member of Bebop-Bebop."  
  
"Why would someone do that?"  
  
"Because Bebop-Bebop crew members had gone up against the   
Syndicate on more than one occasion." Both Jet and Spike frowned.   
"Edward tried counter-tracking mystery-person, but came to a dead end.   
After what Arnold-person told us, Edward did another search and found   
that the mystery-person was in fact Thanatos Ragnorok - Death, the   
Doomsday-bringer!"  
  
=====  
  
Within the confines of Faye Valentine's room, a warbled image of a   
man came into view on a small handheld communicator.  
  
"Hey, who calls and what can I do for ya?" the man on the screen   
replied.  
  
"Hey, Macy… It's me."  
  
The man's face came into focus, revealing Macy Caldor. "Hey there,   
Valentine!" he said with a grin. "What's up? How's the bounty coming?"  
  
"It's going great… we're just about to bust him."  
  
Macy's smile faded slowly. "You don't seemed to thrilled about it."   
His expression slowly turned to one of concern. "What's wrong?"  
  
Faye sighed, trying best to choke down a sob. "I broke my vow,   
Macy," she exclaimed. "The one I said I'd never break."  
  
"The one where you vowed never to mix alcohol into ice cream   
floats?"  
  
"Damnit, Macy, I told you that wasn't me!" Faye took a deep breath,   
counting to ten in her head. "The vow I broke was to--,"  
  
"Not fall back in love with that partner of yours?" Macy smirked   
knowingly. "Come on, Faye… you're not fooling anybody."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You haven't broken that vow," Macy replied. "You never fell out of   
love with him in the first place."  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?" Faye snarled.   
  
"Cut the crap, Faye. You've been head over heels for that 'lunkhead'   
of yours for years. I mean, come on… you left because he died, and   
you came back because he was alive."  
  
Faye remained speechless; the man did have a point. "This wasn't   
supposed to happen!" she exclaimed, letting out an exasperated   
sound. "I cannot have feelings for that air-puffed jackass!"  
  
"Who can say we have control over things like this." Macy replied.   
"The best thing to do is to go and talk to him."  
  
"Are you insane?" Faye gawked.   
  
"I prefer to think of myself as being extremely free-spirited." he   
grinned in response. Faye scowled. "You know you like him, just   
accept it."  
  
"I will not accept it!" Faye exclaimed, stomping her foot in a petulant   
fashion. "I do not like him… there's no possible way I can feel anything   
but animosity towards Spike Spiegel. After all, he's given me nothing   
but trouble; he stole from me, he made fun of me, and he was an all   
out jerk whenever he got the chance. He never takes anything   
seriously… I'll bet he was just trying to get a rise out of me when   
he said he loved me--"  
  
"Hold the phone," Macy interrupted. "He told you he loved you?"  
  
"Yeah," Faye answered. "He gave me this whole line about his past   
and that everything he had told me before was pretty much a lie."  
  
"And isn't that what you wanted?" Macy offered. "For him to open   
up to you?"  
  
The violet haired bounty huntress sighed in frustration, running a hand   
through her hair. "Maybe that's what I wanted before." she replied.   
"But how am I supposed to know that he isn't lying to me now? I mean,   
he just comes up to me and says that he loves me - right out of the   
blue… no warning, no nothing."  
  
"Isn't there a possibility that he tried to tell you before, and things kept   
getting in the way?"  
  
Faye paused.   
  
"I'm just glad you decided to come along."  
  
"Do you really hate me that much, Faye?"  
  
"Faye… I'm lonely, too."  
  
"Faye Valentine… I think I'm in love with you."  
  
Shaking that thought out of her head, Faye glared down at her old   
roommate. "I won't be used, Macy." Her voice broke slightly,   
showing signs of the crumbling of her resolve. "I don't want to get   
hurt."  
  
"Faye," Macy's voice was gentle. Faye looked up; it wasn't often that   
Macy called her by her first name. "You can't love someone and   
expect not to get hurt. It doesn't work that way. Sometimes you have   
to force yourself not to worry about what's gonna happen further down   
the road."  
  
"But…"  
  
Macy gave her a reassuring smile. "Just think of it this way,   
Faye-baby, the hard part is over."  
  
Lowering her head, Faye covered her eyes with her hand, mulling   
over his words. After a few moments, she glanced back up at the   
communicator. "That's where you're wrong." Macy blinked in   
confusion. "The easy part was excepting how I feel."  
  
"Then, what's the hard part?"  
  
Faye sighed heavily. "The hard part is this… how to convince   
Spike Spiegel that I don't hate his guts."  
  
=====  
  
'Walk up to the door, walk away from the door, walk up to the door,   
walk away from the door… damn, I'm such a jackass.' Spike   
stopped mid-stride, digging in his pockets to light a cigarette. As he   
brought it up to his lips, he realized that it had been the last one in   
pack. He smirked beside himself. 'I just bought this pack.' he thought   
to himself.  
  
Craning his head towards the door, Spike could hear Faye's voice   
coming from within. Though he couldn't discern who she was talking   
to or what she was saying, he could tell she wasn't in the best of moods.   
Had the situation been any different, Spike would have just walked   
away, waiting until she was in a better mood to talk.  
  
Not this time.  
  
'I've waited long enough,' he told himself. 'She's been avoiding me for   
the last couple of days… it's about time we came to a resolution once   
and for all.' Squaring his shoulders, Spike rose his hand in a fist,   
preparing to knock on the door. However, before his hand came in   
contact with the door, it slid open, revealing Faye on the other side.  
  
"Spike!" she exclaimed in surprise, staring at his fist.  
  
Opening his mouth to explain himself, he paused, noting the look in   
her eye. Granted, he had always found it easy to figure out what she   
was thinking; her eyes held so much emotion - it was like reading a   
book. However, many times she kept her real thoughts guarded,   
hiding them deep within her emerald depths where no one could find   
them. Still, when looking at her now, Spike now found that all her   
emotions were open for him to see.  
  
Realizing he was staring at her, Faye quickly looked away, stepping   
around him into the hallway. "Jet's out," she explained quickly. "I   
gotta go cook dinner."  
  
Spike stood there a moment, watching her retreating back. Why did   
she still avoid him? He had told her how he felt about her; did this   
mean she truly hated him? No, Spike Spiegel would not accept that.  
  
"Faye, hold on." Faye blinked, feeling his hand clamp around her arm.   
She turned back towards him only to see that serious 'I'm pissed at you'   
expression on his face. "You and I need to talk."  
  
She tried to scrounge up her 'I don't give a damn that you're pissed at   
me' look, but just didn't have the heart. Instead, she turned away,   
closing her eyes. "I can't talk to you right now, Spike," she told him   
quietly. "I have things to do-"  
  
"Well, forget them." Spike said curtly. "I've been meaning to talk to   
you for a while now, and I'm not about to put it off another minute."  
  
Sighing despairingly, Faye gave him a cross look. "Haven't we talked   
enough?" she asked. "Really, Spike, what more is there to say?"  
  
Spike's angry look melted away, replaced by a pleading look. "It's   
important." he told her.   
  
Faye could only sigh. When it looked as though she had surrendered,   
Spike led her over towards the yellow couch. She seemed hesitant to   
sit at first, but relented after Spike's insistence. There they sat for a   
few moments in silence, looking at the television unit sitting on the   
coffee table.  
  
"Where's Jet?" Spike asked.  
  
"Out." Faye answered, fidgeting with her bracelet. "Said he wanted to   
talk to his cop friend to see if he had any more information."  
  
"Oh." There was pause. "And Ed?"  
  
"Somewhere around here, probably unearthing something that would   
be best left alone."  
  
Spike chuckled. "Sounds like Ed. You think she'd know it was better   
to let sleeping dogs lie." Faye eyed him dubiously. "Yeah, that was   
corny… so sue me."  
  
"Maybe later." Faye replied, a small smile making its way to her face.   
"Though that does seem to fit Ed perfectly."  
  
The two sat there a few moments, nodding in agreement. Soon they   
both broke out into gales of laughter. It got to the point where they   
were so oxygen-deprived that they were leaning against each other for   
support, struggling to catch their breath.  
  
Spike wiped the tears from his eyes, taking quick gasping breaths. He   
took a moment to glance down at Faye. Her face was slightly flushed   
and hair was hanging in her eyes, which were still shimmering with tears   
of mirth. She was leaning against him with her hand resting on his   
stomach.   
  
It seemed she realized how close they were, for she straightened out   
quickly, straightening herself up. "Sorry," she murmured.  
  
Spike didn't respond, setting his hand where hers had been. He couldn't   
recall many occasions where the two of them had been that close, but   
Spike suddenly found that he needed to be close to her. He wondered   
what it would be like to hold her in his arms or vice versa. It was   
strange how he couldn't imagine himself anywhere else.  
  
Faye sighed, staring down at her hands. "Things have gotten weird,   
haven't they?"  
  
Spike blinked down at her a moment before staring at his feet propped   
up on the table. "Yeah, I guess so." he replied. "But…" he trailed off,   
sounding a little hesitant. "We're friends, aren't we?"  
  
Faye froze, taken aback by the hopefulness in his voice. Spike Spiegel   
was asking her if they were friends? Well, were they? Had they,   
somewhere along the way, either now or three years ago become more   
than just partners? Had they been friends? She found herself wondering.  
  
Spike watched her facial expressions as all these thoughts flitted   
through her head. Coming to his own conclusions, he let out a wistful   
chuckle. "Maybe we weren't exactly friends," he replied. "But I think   
we came pretty close." Faye could only nod. 'I wish we could become   
more than that.'  
  
Leaning back, Faye could feel Spike's arm resting on the back of the   
chair. Idly she wondered what it would be like to have his arm draped   
around her shoulders or around her waist, walking down the street, or   
sitting in a movie theater, guarding her like she was the most precious   
thing in the world.  
  
"More childish fantasies." she mumbled to herself.  
  
"A little fantasy here and there isn't so bad, is it?" Spike was smirking   
down at her playfully. She couldn't bring herself to be angry with him.  
  
"For me it is," she replied. "I've been hurt too many times to believe   
in fantasies anymore."  
  
Spike looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'm not gonna hurt you, Faye."   
he replied.  
  
"You say that now," Faye replied, sitting forward all of a sudden. "But   
who knows what's gonna happen down the road?"  
  
"I can't see the future."  
  
"I know, but I've been hurt too many times to take any chances." Faye   
replied, clenching her fists in her lap. She flinched when she felt Spike's   
hands rest on top of hers. Confusion and hope showed in her eyes as she   
stared up at him.  
  
Spike smiled; his expression had mirrored her own. "Being all emotional   
really isn't my style," he replied. "I pretty much tend to keep that kinda   
stuff to myself. But…" he gave her hands a gentle squeeze. "I wasn't   
lying about what I said, Faye."   
  
Faye remained speechless. She tried to look away, only to feel Spike   
cup her chin, turning her back to face him.   
  
He chuckled softly, watching the pinkish tint appear on her cheeks.   
"You mean to tell me that the great Poker Alice is afraid to take a   
gamble on someone like me?"   
  
"If Poker Alice was alive," Faye replied slowly. "She'd be over 200   
years old."  
  
"80, 200… there's not much difference." That insufferable smirk   
reappeared.  
  
"Lunkhead."  
  
"Shrew woman."  
  
"Q-Tip."  
  
"Tomboy…"  
  
"That was a weak one, Cabbage head."  
  
"Look who's talking, Romani."  
  
"Garrggghhh! You, you… Gaujo!!"  
  
Spike laughed out loud, planting a kiss right on her lips. This time, Faye   
made no protests. As she felt herself lowered down onto the couch, all   
she could feel was pure bliss.  
  
End of Chapter 16  
  
Next Time... Chapter 17 - Warning 


	19. Author Intermission #2 - Yet another wor...

Cowboy Bebop  
"That's Why They Call it the Blues"  
  
Author Intermission #2 -  
  
Hi there, everyone! I trust you are all well. I'd just like to start off by   
saying that I hope everyone is enjoying this fic. I can't believe I've gotten  
30 reviews! Granted, that may not seem like a lot to some, but after  
reading them, they made me feel really great--  
  
Wufei: Oh no... here come's the sappy, emotional onna-banter.  
  
Shut up! I'm so glad you guys enjoy this fic so much! Being that it's my   
first Bebop fic, I thought it was gonna suck! The plot would make no sense,  
the characters personalities wouldn't be right... but according to you guys  
it seems as if I've hit the nail right on the head. =) Thank you so, so much!  
  
But before I keep going on about that, it's time that I get to the task at   
hand so you guys can get back to reading the fic (unless of course, you guys  
skip this part all together.... but that's okay). I guess you could consider  
this a discography (is that right?) of all the songs I've used thus far since my   
last intermission.  
  
Okay, here goes...  
  
9 - "Deny", from the album 'The Fallout', performed by Default  
  
10 - "Call me, call me", from Cowboy Bebop, performed by Steve Conte  
  
11 - "Shelter", from the 'Spider-man' Soundtrack, performed by Greenwheel  
  
12 - "Gotta Knock a Little Harder", from Cowboy Bebop, performed by  
Mai Yamane  
  
13 - "Don't Speak", from the album 'Tragic Kingdom', performed by No   
Doubt; "Drift and Die" performed by Puddle of Mudd; "Get Free", from   
the album 'Highly Evolved', performed by The Vines  
  
14 - "Ask DNA", from Cowboy Bebop, performed by Raju Ramuya  
  
15 - "Artificial Sweetener", from the album 'Return of Saturn', performed  
by No Doubt  
  
16 - "You Make Me Cool", from Cowboy Bebop, performed by Masayoshi  
Furukawa  
  
and soon to come....  
  
17 - "Warning", from the album 'Morning View', performed by Incubus  
  
18 - "Tank!", from Cowboy Bebop, performed by the Seatbelts  
  
19 - "Running Away", performed by Hoobastank 


	20. 17 - Warning

Chapter 17 - Warning  
"What's so wrong with  
Being happy  
Kudos to those who  
See through sickness"  
  
"All right, we're going in. We'll be landing on Europa in less than   
an hour."  
  
"Did Faye-Faye handle the trip well?"  
  
"Don't worry, Ed, I handled it fine."  
  
"So, what's the plan?"  
  
"Seeing since it's an underground facility, we're gonna have to take   
extra-special care while busting in."  
  
"What's it under?"  
  
"A shopping mall."  
  
There was a pause. "You've gotta be kidding me."  
  
"Look, this isn't gonna be a cakewalk, so we're gonna have to do   
this by the book. Spike, you, me, and Faye-"  
  
"Hey! What about Edward?"  
  
"Ed…"  
  
"Yeah, what about Edward? She's proven she can handle it."  
  
"Right-o! Right-o! Edward wants to bring back her own souvenirs!"  
  
--Sigh.-- "Fine… that makes it all the more easier. We'll storm the   
place in two teams."  
  
"Edward wants to go with Faye-Faye!"  
  
"All right then, Jet and I will-"  
  
"Ein wants to go, too!"  
  
"Hold on, I'll go with Ed."  
  
"What're you, her chaperone or something?"  
  
"And Ein, too! He's a Cowboy Woof Woof!"  
  
"What difference does it make who goes with her? She can handle   
herself!"  
  
"Whoo whoo! Dynamic duo!"  
  
"It doesn't matter, okay? Spike, you go with Faye--"  
  
"I thought Edward was going with Faye."  
  
"Faye-Faye!"  
  
"Look, it doesn't really matter--"  
  
"Let's not make this difficult, okay? Jet goes with me, Ed'll go with   
Spike. I know I'm so desirable and all, but damn - let's not start a   
war over me."  
  
Faye was met with four dubious stares.  
  
"Anyway," Jet replied gruffly, pulling out a large blueprint. "Thanatos'   
headquarters is located at the base of this facility here, providing it   
good cover… it's almost impossible to bust in without somebody's   
knowing."  
  
"So, again I ask, what's the plan?"  
  
Jet looked up, a smirk appearing on his face. "We go in undercover."  
  
=====  
  
Spike's eyebrow switched slightly as he stared at his so-called 'disguise'.  
Dressed in large, loose fitting khaki pants and a hockey jersey for   
some non-existent team, a backward ball cap adorned his head, serving   
to conceal his puffy green hair.  
  
"Jet, what the hell is-" He stopped in his tracks, getting a good look at   
his partner.   
  
Jet was dressed in blue-ish gray business suit, wearing wing-tip shoes.   
However, what really got Spike's attention was the long white beard   
and pony-tailed wig he sported, complete with a pair of black   
sunglasses and a bandanna.   
  
Spike hunched forward, howling with laughter. "You look like ZZ   
Top." he wailed.  
  
Jet frowned. "Who the heck is ZZ Top?" he asked, straightening his tie   
in the mirror. Spike only continued to laugh.  
  
"What's all the commotion in here?" Faye asked. The two men looked   
up at her. She was wearing a black three-piece business suit - a jacket,   
vest, and skirt that stopped at mid-thigh and showed off all her curves.   
She wore knee-high boots and a short, fiery-red wig with spiky curls.   
  
Both hunters had to admit that her disguise looked pretty good; you   
almost couldn't recognize her. Not to mention she looked pretty   
damn sexy.  
  
Too bad she couldn't say the same about their disguises. She broke out   
into gales of laughter, leaning against the wall for support. "My   
kingdom for a camera!" she cried out. "You guys look hilarious!!"  
  
"Where's Ed?" Jet growled.  
  
"Right heeeree!" Edward appeared behind them, wearing the same   
outfit as before, only with a pair of reading glasses.  
  
"Can you see with those?"  
  
Edward nodded. "They're fake."  
  
"Well, if some of us are done laughing," Jet replied, glaring pointedly   
at Faye. "Let's get this show on the road."  
  
"Okie-dokie!"  
  
=====  
  
"It's been three days. Still no word from Arnold or Valhoun?"  
  
"Sorry, sir, but we've received a report that both of them have been   
turned into ISSP authorities."  
  
"I see." There was a pause. "What was their status?"  
  
"Arnold was injured, Valhoun was… er… dead. Bounties were   
collected on both of them"  
  
"A pity… at least they served their purpose."  
  
"Their purpose, sir? The bounty hunters got to them, sir, they'll be   
coming here."  
  
The figure leaned back in his chair, turning away from his subordinate.   
The same, frighteningly dazzling smile as before appeared on his face.   
"Exactly."  
  
=====  
  
"Hey! Hey you!" A mall security guard looked up to see a lanky   
young man and a young teenage girl approaching him. The young man   
looked pissed.  
  
"Uh, can I help you, sir?" he asked.  
  
"Ya damn right you can!" the young man replied, clamping a hand down   
on his shoulder. "I wanna file a complaint!"  
  
"Um, sir…" the security guard replied, prying his hand away. "Complaints   
are usually made at the Customer Services booth."  
  
"Don't give me any crap about your booths!" the man exclaimed. "I'm  
sick and tired of guys like you tryin' to push me around! I mean, I ask   
you for help and you turn me away? What the heck is that?"  
  
"Sir, if you would just calm down…" the security guard began. Though   
the young man didn't look very threatening, something about him made   
him scary enough to make the guard nervous.  
  
"Don't you 'sir' me, and don't tell me to calm down!" the young man was   
drawing a crowd now. "I come here as a decent customer, just trying to   
go about my business… and this is the treatment I get?"  
  
"Yeah!" someone in the crowd replied.  
  
"You tell'im, buddy!"  
  
"Yeah!" the girl exclaimed, earning a 'not yet' look from the young man   
in front of her.  
  
"Look, pal!" the security guard replied. "I don't know what you're trying   
to pull…"  
  
"I'm trying to pull something now?" the young man exclaimed. "I came   
for help and this is what I get?" He pushed him roughly. "I don't have to  
take this bull from you!"  
  
"Watch it, man!" the guard replied, shoving back. "Don't make me hurt   
you!"  
  
The young man stumbled back, falling into the arms of the surrounding   
crowd. "You see that?" he balked. "He just threatened me! He's   
supposed to be ensuring our safety!"  
  
The guard blinked in confusion. What the heck was going on here?   
"What're you talking about, you jerk!" he yelled. "You're the one who   
started a fight with me!"  
  
"Hey!" the girl replied. "You can't talk to Brother-per-you can't do   
that!" She began pounding on his arm in a windmill fashion.  
  
"Back off!" the guard screamed, shielding himself.   
  
"Oh, so now you're attacking my little sister, too!" the young man   
growled. "It's on now!" With that, he wrestled him to the ground, the   
crowd cheering him on wildly.  
  
=====  
  
Unbeknownst to the crowd of onlookers and those who were just   
perusing the mall to shop, the particular guard that was in the process   
of being pummeled had been guarding a door leading to a basement   
stairwell. With the commotion caused by the young man and his sister,   
two figures, a man and a woman, were able to slip through the door   
unnoticed.  
  
"Don'cha think he's overdoing it a little?" Jet asked, slipping through the   
door. Spike, who happened to be the hotheaded young man beating the   
tar out of that poor guard, was still going strong.  
  
"Nah, not really." Faye replied, closing the door behind them. "He's just   
letting out a little built-up frustration. The guy's got issues, you know   
that."  
  
Jet smirked. "You're a fine one to talk."  
  
Faye scowled back at him. "Funny, Jet. Really funny." The two of   
them hurried down the stairs in a quick and quiet fashion. "Think I could   
go back and get a few hits in, too?"  
  
Jet held back a chuckle. "Down, tiger… you'll have your chance in a   
few."  
  
There was a pause. "Hey, Jet… we're gonna win, aren't we?"  
  
Another pause, "I hope so, Faye. I damn well hope so."  
  
=====  
  
-- Rattle, rattle… Clank! -- The metal bars closed shut behind Spike   
and Edward, leaving them confined within a small space deep within the   
bowels of the Bathsheba City Shopping mall.  
  
"Y'know," Spike drawled, already making himself comfy on a cot   
resting in the corner. "Guys like me don't do well in captivity."  
  
"Who knew shopping malls had detention centers," Edward mused,   
busying herself poking at the three cement walls surrounding them.  
  
Standing on the opposite side of the bars, were three or four security   
guards, all of which had seen better days. Their hair was mussed,   
their uniforms torn and dirty; they had all obviously received the   
beating of their lives.  
  
"Yah, well… you shoulda thought of that before you started pickin'   
fights," one guard said through swollen, busted lips. "A little time   
down here oughta cool you down."  
  
"It's only 73 degrees Fahrenheit." Edward pointed out.  
  
"Watchit, ya little smart-ass," one guard growled, reaching towards   
her through the bars. Several bite marks could be seen on his hand -   
her handiwork, no doubt. "Or I'll show you what we do to little punks   
like you."  
  
"Hey," Spike, who until then had looked very comfortable, glared up   
at them warily. A few guards stepped back in fear. "Leave her alone."   
He smirked slightly. "I'm sure there are more pressing matters that   
require your attention… like guarding the Weenie Mart or something…"  
  
One guard snarled and opened his mouth to protest, only to be led   
away quickly by the others. They disappeared down the hall,   
speaking in hushed whispers. Spike could have sworn he heard one   
guard refer to him as a 'whacked out, psycho-Bruce Lee-reincarnate."   
He almost felt proud.  
  
In the meantime, Edward continued with her inspection of their cell,   
absently muttering the lyrics to some bizarre song Spike had never   
heard before.  
  
"Hey, Ed," he called, staring at the black and red tiles lining the floor   
outside their cell.  
  
"…Kigen… oshibe, meshibe, hitostubu no shushi! Sou, tochi no ko   
seichou… "  
  
"Ed?"  
  
"…Tetsu-gaku no kodomo…"  
  
Spike's eyebrow began to twitch slightly. "Ed…"  
  
"Soshite!"  
  
"EDWARD!"  
  
The young hacker turned towards him, grinning pleasantly. "Yes,   
Spike-person?" she asked innocently.  
  
Spike almost regretted insisting she be allowed to come along.   
"Edward," he replied slowly. "It's time we busted out of here."  
  
"Right-o, Captain Spike-person!" she grinned, throwing him a smart   
salute.  
  
Clearing his throat, Spike rose from his seat, crossing the span of the   
small cell with a few steps. "Right," he replied. "So, hack us out of   
here."  
  
Edward grinned. "Edward is afraid she cannot."  
  
Spike blinked for a few moments. "Excuse me?"  
  
Her grin widened. "Edward cannot bust us out because the guards   
took Edward's backpack."  
  
Spike's shoulders slumped slightly. "You're joking, right?" He looked   
down at her. "Tell me you've got to be joking."  
  
If Edward's grin got any bigger, it would encompass the entire lower   
half of her face. "Nope. Not at all." She grabbed two of the bars,   
attempting to stick her head out. When that was unsuccessful, she tried   
to see how far out her leg could go; being that she was so skinny, it could   
go pretty far.  
  
"Damnit…" Spike began pacing. "I can't believe this whole operation's   
been flubbed just because one of those jerks decided to take your   
backpack. We're screwed… just like that."  
  
Edward laughed, turning his attention back toward her. The girl was   
hanging from the top crossbar of the cell door. "Spike-person doesn't   
have to worry," she replied. "Help is on the way." Before Spike could   
ask just what she meant, Edward began singing again, this time at the   
top of her lungs. "Hitotsu no yuukiteki na kikan! Hitotsu no eikyuu   
undou souchi…"   
  
Spike covered his ears, cringing slightly. He absently wondered if she   
was tone deaf. "Knock it off, Ed!" he called out. "You're gonna draw   
the whole goon squad back here!  
  
"Aaaaa, kudou nari! So wa, kuudou nari!" Edward ended her song   
abruptly, craning her head towards the hallway. Following her lead,   
Spike did the same, picking up on a small ringing noise. It was a jingling   
sound, like a pair of keys, or a small bell.  
  
"What the hell is that?" he wondered aloud.  
  
"The cavalry has arrived!" Edward exclaimed, immediately shushing   
herself, then giggling.  
  
Spike looked up, startled to see the most bizarre sight; Edward's bag   
was making its way down the hall towards them. However, after   
taking a double take, Spike realized that behind the bag, pushing it   
every few steps was none other than…  
  
"Ein?"  
  
"Cowboy Woof Woof to the rescue!" Edward grinned, beaming with   
pride for her canine compatriot. "Good Ein! Saved Edward's backpack!"  
  
"Not to mention both our asses." Spike added. "Now let's get out of   
here, before someone takes notice."  
  
"Ein," Edward replied. "Pass Edward her decoder-box."  
  
Ein barked, pulling out a ring with several keys on it. Spike and   
Edward glanced at each other in disbelief.  
  
"Ein... that is not Edward's decoder box..."  
  
Spike was the first to recover, reaching for the ring and testing to see   
which key fit the lock on their cell. Within a few tries, the door was open  
and the two bounty hunters were free. Spike chuckled, impressed with   
the Data Dog's quick thinking. "Good dog."  
  
Ein barked again, giving him a 'tell me something I don't already   
know' look.  
  
"All right now," Spike's eyes gleamed with determination. "It's time to   
set Phase 2 into action. Ready, Ed?"  
  
"A-Okay!"  
  
End of chapter 17 


	21. 18 - Tank!

Chapter 18 - Tank!  
"I think it's time we blow this thing  
Get everybody and their stuff together  
Okay - 3, 2, 1, let's jam!"  
  
In a large dark room, a figure sat in a large plush, swivel chair. The   
room itself was filled with monitors of various sizes, depicting images   
of events occurring all over the Red Mafia compound.  
  
With a click of a remote, two of the monitors disappeared, two more   
twice as big as the originals appearing in their place. On the monitors,   
Faye and Jet, along with Spike and Edward could be seen making their   
way through the twisting halls and corridors of the underground base.  
  
"They've entered the compound, sir," an underling replied, standing   
behind the plush chair.  
  
"I know, you idiot." the figure replied. "I have eyes."  
  
The underling nodded quickly in agreement, afraid of inviting her   
employers reputed, horrible wrath upon her. "Shall I have a squadron   
apprehend them now, sir?" she asked. "I can have one assembled in   
no time - they won't know what hit them."  
  
"Which would surely take the fun out of everything," the figure replied.   
"Wouldn't it, my dear?" A haunting smile appeared on his face.  
  
The young woman stepped back, nodding nervously like a shy child.   
"Of course, sir," she agreed. "But, what would you have me do?"  
  
"Leave them be… for now." he replied. "We still have plenty of time.   
Let's have a little fun."  
  
"Yes, sir." the woman replied, nodding quickly as she backed away.   
"As you wish it, sir." With that, she exited the room, still shaken by that   
hauntingly beautiful smile.  
  
=====  
  
"Are you sure this is such a good idea?"  
  
Jet sighed, his infinite patience for Faye Valentine wearing very thin.   
"I told you, Faye," he replied. "It's the only plan I can think of. So,   
unless you've got any better ideas…"  
  
"Oh, shut up, Jet," Faye frowned. "You're the one who made such a   
big fuss about staying in teams."  
  
"And now I'm saying we should split up. If we keep walking around   
like this, we're sure to attract unwanted attention." He paused for a   
moment. "What, are you scared or somethin'?"  
  
Faye ignored him. "All right then, what do you suggest, oh wise one?"   
She folded her arms, regarding him with slight impatience.  
  
Jet decided to let that one slide. "This place runs like any other   
corporation, 'cept this one participates in shady dealings."  
  
"Yeah, so?"  
  
"So, the idea is to find out where Thanatos is hiding himself." Jet   
replied. "The only way to do that is to cover as much ground as   
quickly as possible."  
  
"This place is crawling with guards, Jet," Faye replied in a low tone,   
batting her eyes at a passing guard, who blushed fiercely.   
  
"No shit, Sherlock," Jet smirked. "That's why we have the disguises."   
Faye scowled at him. "Look, it's simple, okay? You take the East   
Wing and I'll take the West Wing. The two of us will make our way   
down the floors searching every inch until we find our guy."  
  
"And whoever gets there first, busts him." Faye smirked.  
  
"No way, sister," Jet frowned. Faye pouted and started to object   
before he cut her off. "Remember, this guy is dangerous - even more   
so than Aeolis." He glanced around cautiously. "Whoever gets to him   
first, contact the others and wait until help gets there. Got it?" Faye   
sighed huffily. "Faye?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, Jet, I gotcha." she frowned. Folding her arms, she   
glanced around the hall. "Well, I suppose we should get this over   
with, huh? I'll take my hall, and you take yours."  
  
Jet nodded. "Everyone is to keep a routine check-in every half-hour,   
got that?"  
  
"Yes, dad…"  
  
The ex-cop's expression turned serious. "This is serious, Faye," he   
told her. "We're dealing with guys that used to be members of the   
Syndicate." Faye frowned. "I know how you feel about them… I'm   
not thrilled about the shit they put us through either… but you be   
careful. Don't pull a 'Spike' on me."  
  
Faye smiled a little. "Yes, sir." With that, she began walking down   
the hall, stopping in front of a gangly looking guard. "Excuse me, sir?"   
she purred. "I was wondering if you could help me…"  
  
Jet shook his head. 'That girl is something else…' He took off down   
the hall in the opposite direction, trying to look as discreet as possible.  
  
=====  
  
Faye smirked to herself, adjusting the security guard uniform she had   
'borrowed'. The uniform's owner, the same gangly looking guard from   
before, lay unconscious on the floor of a large broom closet. "Sorry you   
didn't get exactly what you came for, kiddo," she replied, somewhat   
apologetically. "Maybe next lifetime." With that, she strode off down   
the hall.   
  
Taking a small map out of jacket pocket - lucky for her it had been   
the guy's first day on the job - Faye found her position on the   
compound. According to her calculations, she was one floor above   
a restricted area in which access was limited to a small selection of   
people.  
  
A triumphant grin made its way across her face. "Well, whaddya   
know," she snickered. "I made it here first."  
  
"Fancy that, so did we." Faye blinked in surprise, recognizing that   
amused tone. She looked up to see Spike and Ed standing in front of her.  
"Wha-at?" A bark directed her attention to her feet. "And Ein, too?   
What the hell is this?"  
  
Spike chuckled, letting his eyes roam over her for a brief moment.   
"Nice outfit." However, on the inside, he felt a slight twinge of jealousy,   
knowing full well she had had to flirt with someone to get it.  
  
Faye blushed furiously. "Jackass… I should say the same." The lanky   
bounty hunter winked at her, making kissy faces. "You know what…   
you are such a child! I was here first and you knew it!"  
  
Choosing to ignore her, Spike took out his communicator. "Jet," he   
replied. "Floor 34b - we found it."  
  
"Got it," Jet's voice responded. "Hold your position, I'll be there in--,"  
  
Faye made a 'tch'-ing sound. "To Hell with that…" She stepped   
forward. "Ed, open the door."  
  
"Roger, dodger!"  
  
Spike blinked in confusion. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Think about it," Faye replied calmly. "We haven't had any trouble   
making it this far, right? Thanatos knows we're here - he's been waiting   
for us the whole time."  
  
"So?" Spike frowned. Faye had that gleam in her eye - that meant she   
was most likely gonna do something invariably stupid. "All the more   
reason for us to wait for Jet and come up with a plan."  
  
Faye laughed. "Listen to yourself," she smirked. "You almost sound like   
a team player." Spike opened his mouth to object, but she cut him off.   
"You guys can wait if you want, but I'm going on ahead. Don't get mad  
if I catch the bounty without you." With that, she opened the stairwell   
door, disappearing into its darkness.  
  
"Faye! Hold on a minute!" Spike called out. Faye was already   
descending the steps at a fast pace. It was almost like she wanted to   
go in alone. "Shit!" He turned to Ed, grabbing her by the shoulders.   
"Ed, you and Ein stay here and wait for Jet."  
  
"Where is Spike-person going?" Edward asked. "Edward wants to help  
make sure Faye doesn't make an ass of herself, too!"  
  
Spike smirked half-heartedly. "It's Faye we're talking about," he replied.   
"Her not making an ass out of herself isn't possible." He took out his gun,   
checking to make sure it was fully loaded. "Just wait here for Jet, okay?   
Tell'im what happened."   
  
"Okay."   
  
With that, Spike entered the stairwell, checking around for any guards   
or cameras. However, as soon as his foot touched the first step, a   
beeping noise was heard. "What the hell…?"  
  
"Spike-person?" Edward called worriedly.  
  
The beeping steadily increased, getting faster and louder until it   
stopped completely. When it did so, the stairwell beneath Spike   
shuddered. Flattening down upon each other, the steps formed a   
steel slide, sending Spike spiraling downwards into the unknown.   
That last thing Edward heard was "Ohhhhhhh shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!"  
  
=====  
  
It was one of those weird deals where you're in one place one   
minute, and in the next, you find yourself some place completely   
different. Originally, Spike had been on Europa, at Bathsheba City's   
largest shopping mall, chasing down his beautifully impetuous partner.  
  
'Damn,' he thought to himself. 'It's gotten to the point where I can't   
even insult her in my head without complimenting her.'  
  
However, where he had once been on one of Jupiter's moons, he found   
himself an entirely different situation; he was standing on the rooftop of   
an old, rundown building.  
  
'Déjà vu…' he thought idly. He was unable to dwell upon that thought   
any further for a barrage of bullets came zinging through the air, forcing   
him to drop down to his knees. "Who's shooting?" he yelled out. He   
reached for his gun, firing a few shoots in hopes of drawing his attackers   
into the open. He succeeded, only to find that his attackers were only   
faceless, formless shadows.  
  
'Oh, I get it now… this is one of those retrospective, psychedelic-type   
dreams,' He raised his gun, firing off a whole round. 'Still, it would   
really suck to get killed in my own dream.' Reloading in a quick, but   
extremely precise fashion that only Spike Spiegel could possess, the   
lanky bounty hunter stood up, firing at each of his attackers until only   
one was left.   
  
"All right, time for me to end this dream." In a Mexican standoff style,   
the two took aim, preparing to end each other's lives.   
  
Two shots were fired, two screams were heard. One was feminine.   
It was that moment when Spike realized where - or more specifically,   
when he was. The old rooftop, the gunfight, the fluttering of wings as   
dozens of birds took flight… it was just like before.  
  
It was all coming back to him. He turned quickly, adrenaline pumping   
over time as he ran across the roof. "Juli--!" Her name died in his   
throat, as he stared down at the body before him. He couldn't believe   
his eyes. Her eyes were not blue nor were her hair blonde. It was   
almost as if a bullet had pierced its way through his heart.   
  
"No…FAYE!"  
  
=====  
  
Her emerald eyes snapped upon, and she sat up quickly as if she had   
woken from a nightmare. "What happened…?" she asked no one,   
rubbing her head as she scanned the room slowly.  
  
"You took a nasty fall," the voice that spoke was deep, but gentle,   
almost calming. It made a person want to curl up in the arms of its   
owner, fearing nothing.  
  
Had Faye been anyone else, she would have immediately felt at ease;   
however, Faye was used to not trusting people. Immediately, her gun   
was drawn. "Who's there?" she called.  
  
The voice went on as if there had been no interruption. "A very nasty   
fall… it would be a pity if you were hurt." Faye noticed a tear on the   
sleeve of her uniform, through which a little blood seeped. "A pity, that   
I would have an unfair advantage."  
  
Faye frowned, suddenly aware of the sound of footsteps growing nearer.   
Judging by his gait, the person was a male, skinny, and fairly tall.   
However, he walked slowly and purposefully…  
  
'Like a predator stalking its prey.' Faye stood up slowly, training her gun   
on the approaching figure. "All right, come out into the light where I can   
see you - nice and slowly."  
  
"As you wish it," He smiled, stepping into view. "Miss Valentine."  
  
A scream died in Faye's throat. She had gone back three years into the   
past to relive one of her most horrid nightmares. Before her stood a   
ghost, the visage a horrible monster she had prayed she'd never see again.   
Her blood ran cold as her heart threatened to stop on her.   
It was stepping into the Twilight Zone. "…Vicious…"  
  
End of Chapter 18  
  
Author's Notes -  
  
Okay now, before you all go, 'Oh great, another 'Spike vs Vicious back   
from the dead' fic' know that it is -not- one of those typical Spike vs. Vicious  
fics.   
  
To be honest, I did consider making it that way for a while, but then  
I realized that nothing else in the fic had been typical (except for Spike  
and Faye hooking up, but they do so in an atypical way, right?), so why  
ruin a good thing?  
  
So, before you give up on reading this fic (when it's so close to the end - I   
estimate roughly 4-5 more chaps to go) just keep in mind that this isn't  
your typical 'Vicious comes back from dead' set up, because it isn't. I've  
still got a few more twists up my sleeve before we reach the climax.  
  
Miss Chang Po - You mean you actually have a climax planned?  
  
Uh... sort of... I assume it's gonna find its way in there eventually... ::Miss   
Chang Po gives her a 'yeah right' look:: Oh shut up, ya slacker! You suck   
at being a muse! ::'ahems:: But anyway, read on and enjoy! 


	22. 19 - Running Away

Chapter 19 - Running Away  
"And when I get close, you turn away  
There's nothing that I can do or say  
So now I need you to tell me the truth  
You know I'd do that for you"  
  
"Spike!" Jet called as he, Ed, and Ein made their way down the   
steps. "You okay down there?" They found him in front of a closed   
doorway, throwing all his weight upon it in efforts to get it open.   
"What's going on?"  
  
"That dumb ass wouldn't listen…" Wham! "Went on ahead instead   
of waiting…" Slam! "She's probably in trouble!" Wham!  
  
"Hang on, Spike," Jet interjected. "Lemme give that a try before--,"  
  
Wham! "Aw, shit!" Spike stumbled backwards, cradling his arms.   
"That's probably gonna bruise before the night is through…" He   
ground his teeth in frustration, stepping aside to allow Jet room to get   
by. "I don't get it… I know she's bullheaded, but this is ridiculous!   
Why would she go in there by herself when she knew how dangerous   
it was? Does she need the money that badly?"  
  
Jet, who had been testing the stability of the door by leaning against it,   
stopped, looking up at Spike. "It was never really about the money," he   
told him.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Jet frowned slightly. "You mean you guys haven't settled your   
differences, yet?"  
  
"Um…"  
  
"Come on, Spike," Jet said disapprovingly. "What's up? Ed told me   
you two had kissed and made up."  
  
Spike cleared his throat slightly, turning his head away. "Well… we   
did something like that."  
  
Jet groaned. "Damnit… I didn't need to know that…" he replied,   
slapping his hand to his forehead.  
  
"Okay, let's just say there's an understanding between us then." Spike   
offered, shrugging his shoulders.  
  
"Obviously not," Jet replied, pushing against the large door in front of   
them. "Or else you'd understand why she wanted this bounty so badly."  
  
"Aeolis, right?"  
  
Jet shook his head. "The Syndicate." The green haired bounty hunter   
eyed him warily, waiting for him to elaborate. "They really screwed us   
over; they wrecked our ships, totaled the Bebop - they killed you."   
Spike frowned slightly. "If you think about it, we were all pretty much   
split up because of the Syndicate."  
  
"Jet," Spike replied evenly. "What happened with the Syndicate was my   
fault - nobody else's."  
  
Jet smirked halfheartedly, searching his pockets. He had had some   
explosives with him, where had he put them? "You try explaining that   
to Faye," he replied. "Because as far as I know, she really took it   
personally."  
  
=====  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
His eyes had been vacant, almost as if he was focused on something only   
he could see. An animalistic grin made its way across his pale face.   
"Vicious."  
  
As the searing hot slab of metal tore through her shoulder, that   
moment was all she had been aware of. Though he had not actually   
done her any physical harm, Faye feared Vicious in a way she could   
fear no other. He had killed Mao Yenrai. He had killed Gren, and   
undoubtedly Julia as well. There was no doubt in Faye's mind;   
Vicious' soul had been hollow, his heart black as pitch. Being near  
him was like standing on the edge of oblivion; encountering him would   
surely mean death.  
  
Despite the fear and pain that she felt, as Faye stumbled backwards   
slamming into the wall, as the blood slowly trickled down her arm, she   
refused to back down. There had been a time when merely hearing his   
voice made her want to run away, curling up under a dark rock   
someplace, seeing him there made her blood boil. After all, he had   
killed Spike.  
  
She couldn't let him get away with that.  
  
"I've been watching you for sometime, Faye." he said, reloading his gun.   
"Known as the infamous Poker Alice, scamming casinos from Venus all   
the way to Callisto and back. You've also made quite a name for yourself   
as a bounty hunter - quite a repertoire."  
  
"What do you want?" Faye gritted, struggling to reload her gun with her   
free hand. She had to take him out - fast… before he hurt anyone else.   
"Why are you here?"  
  
"I'm here because I've created a successful business from what was left   
of the old Syndicate." he told her. "However, with my criminal record   
steadily increasing, I knew I would eventually attract the attention of the   
ISSP, as well as bounty hunters."   
  
He raised his gun, firing a shot at Faye. Luckily, she was able to dodge   
it. The bullet ricocheted off of a water valve, sending steam hissing into   
the room.  
  
"What with my success and all, I couldn't have it all thrown to waste if I   
were to be apprehended,"  
  
Faye frowned; something wasn't quite right. Granted, if Vicious were   
alive, it was obvious that he would track down Spike. However, why   
would he want to hunt down the entire Bebop crew? And why would he   
reveal his plot in the typical villain-type fashion? It just wasn't his style.  
  
"So, you wanted us to come to you, to make your job easier?" Faye   
questioned. "Why the cover? Thanatos Ragnarok? What the hell kind   
of name is that?"  
  
"Thanatos is my name," he replied, a little perplexed by her question.   
Why was she staring at him as if they had met before? "Ragnarok is just   
a title I gave myself when I started this organization."  
  
"Right, and I suppose your old name just didn't get the same effect it   
used to after the Syndicate fell through." Adrenaline was pumping   
through her veins as she edged towards him, using his distraction to her   
advantage.   
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," he laughed, giving her a look   
of confusion. "Perhaps you hit your head a bit too hard in that fall."   
He raised his gun. "Perhaps its time I put you out of your misery."  
  
"On the contrary," Faye raised her gun, pointing it at his head. "Allow   
me, Vicious."  
  
"What?"  
  
A loud explosion blew the door several feet away from the two off its   
hinges. The room filled with smoke, Thanatos ran for cover.  
  
She blinked. The old Vicious wouldn't have run from anything short of a   
hurricane. The more she thought about it, his voice was not the same as   
before either. However, such thoughts were for later - right now, her   
160 million was running away.  
  
"Come back here!" Faye screamed, rushing after him. She closed the   
distance between them only to be caught off guard as he turned back   
towards her, firing at shot at her. She stepped to the side to dodge it;   
only the bullet grazed her neck. She clamped her hand down over it,   
hoping to apply a bit of pressure. "Damnit!" 'If I keep this up, I won't   
be able to catch him…' she thought to herself. Shaking that thought out   
of her head, she took off after him. 'I'm not giving up… there's no way   
I'm gonna let him hurt Spike again.'  
  
=====  
  
Meanwhile, people in the mall above went about their business unaware   
of the events occurring below, the foundation of the building shook.   
Naturally, chaos broke at as people panicked, shrieking and screaming   
as they ran for their lives.   
  
=====  
  
"Shit, Jet, do you think you used enough explosions? It was only a   
frickin' door!"  
  
"Shut up, Spike… It got the job done didn't it?"  
  
"Stop arguing!" Ed cut in, bounding down the stairwell in the direction   
of the last round of gunshots they had heard. "Edward thinks we   
should help Faye-Faye!"  
  
She was right. The two old bounty hunters exchanged glances before   
taking off after her. When they arrived where Faye had last been seen,   
they were greeted by a squad of guards, armed to the teeth with guns   
and rifles and the like.  
  
"Aw, shit." Edward frowned, earning curious glances from her two   
elders. Grabbing Ein, she, Spike, and Jet dove around the corner,   
narrowly missing the barrage of bullets coming their way.  
  
"What now?" Jet asked, checking to see if his gun was loaded.  
  
"I think maybe we should curb the cursing around Ed..." Jet shot him a   
cross look. "At least we know we're going in the right direction." Spike   
replied. He stretched his arm out, firing a few shots. "Ed's armed, right?"  
  
"Yup!" Edward exclaimed, taking the safety off of her gun.   
"Tranquilizers." She opened up her bag revealing over two- dozen of   
the little green vials from before.  
  
Spike blinked in confusion.   
  
Jet chuckled. "You don't even wanna know," he said with a smirk.  
  
"You guys cover me," Spike replied. "I'm gonna go after Faye."  
  
"You can handle it?" Jet asked.  
  
"I don't have a choice," That angry smirk was on her face. "I can't let   
her die, now can I?" Jet frowned. "She'd probably haunt me for the rest   
of my life."  
  
"Spike-person shouldn't worry," Edward replied. "Edward and Jet-person   
gotcha covered." With that, she tossed one of her vials into the air.   
"Hold your breath."   
  
Jet shot the vial, allowing green gas to erupt from it, seeping throughout   
the room. "Go!"  
  
Spike did as commanded, using their cover fire to allow him passage   
past the guards. He shot off down the hall, gun loaded and ready for   
anything. "You better not die on me, Faye," he said aloud, smirking as   
he went. "Or else I'm gonna be really, really pissed."  
  
End of Chapter 20 


	23. 20 - The Real Folk Blues

Author's Notes - Hi, all! Before I begin, I just want to give credit to a song I   
forgot to mention in the intermission. In Chapter 18 I think it was, Edward  
was singing the lyrics to a bizarre sounding song (mostly to piss Spike off,  
but also to let Ein know where she was). Anyways, for those of you  
who have ever watched Utena, or heard any of the soundtracks (which  
are pretty cool in my book), you'll know that the song is called, "Virtual Star  
Hasseigaku", or "Virtual Star Embryology".  
  
The part she sings, translated into English would be...  
"a stamen, a pistil, one seed  
Yes, a native child of Growth  
The child of Philosophy"  
  
She then skips the chorus, I guess you could call it, then going   
onwards to...  
"One organic system  
One perpetual motion device  
Ah, it is an empty movement  
That is an empty movement. It is"  
  
You're probably thinking "why the f*** was she singing something  
like that? It makes no sense." But, think about it, this is Edward   
we're talking about. I'm pretty sure that's all that needs to be said.  
  
Oh yes, and on another note, though I'm not particularly fond of  
lemons (okay, I don't like'em at all, I'm a prude... sue me), I   
figured it wouldn't hurt to kick the level of SpikexFaye interaction  
up a notch (and a half).   
  
So, to be blunt, this chapter is a flashback of sorts, going back to   
what happened in between chapter 16 and 17 (I think... I'm not   
even sure of my own chapters... pathetic). I doesn't really go into  
any detail, but I'll leave it up to you guys. Sorry if it sucks. Enjoy. =)  
  
Chapter 20 - The Real Folk Blues  
"Hitotsu no mede asu no mite (Watching tomorrow with one eye)  
Hitotsu no mede kinou mitsumeteru (While keeping the other on yesterday)  
Kimi no ai no yurikagode (If only I could peacefully sleep)  
Mo ichido yasurakani nemuretara (In the cradle of your love again)"  
  
=Flashback=  
  
She was on Cloud 9; there was no other way to describe the bliss   
she was feeling. Arms and legs entwined, breath intermingling, she   
lay inches away from Spike Spiegel - the one man she had been   
unable to capture.  
  
'Until now…' she thought idly to herself. There had been few things   
Faye had wished for herself with all her might. Examples of which   
would be paying off her debts and finding true happiness with someone   
she cared for. Though she was no closer to paying off her debts than   
she was a year ago, at least she could say Spike was with her. Still, as   
she lay with her head resting beneath his, she could only wonder… was   
that a good thing, or a bad thing?  
  
=====  
  
Spike stared upwards at the ceiling, absently fingering strands of   
Faye's hair. Surprisingly enough, he found it much softer than he   
thought it would be - what with all the hairspray she used on it. In the   
midst of what could have turned out to be yet another one of their   
heated arguments, the two of them - whom had once believed   
themselves to be sworn enemies - mad with passion, had claimed each   
other right then and there.  
  
Faye had made no protests, and neither had he. As he lowered her   
down slowly and gently, her eyes held eagerness, anxiety, and a little   
apprehension. Spike had not let that stop him; and deep down, he   
knew that if he had, Faye would have probably shot him.  
  
'But on the cabin floor…?' Jet would probably have kittens if he   
found out. Spike smirked beside himself. The man did possess   
some integrity, but all in all, he didn't seem to mind. Granted, he   
wasn't a virgin, and wasn't all that surprised to find that she wasn't   
either.   
  
However, what did surprise him was that she claimed to had only   
been with oneother person beside himself; she wouldn't say who. He   
was okay with that... for the time being. At that moment, he only   
wondered what it would be like to wake up every morning with her   
by his side, his hand in her hair, just as they were now.  
  
He'd never thought such things about Julia. Their relationship had   
been like Hide and Seek, Kiss and Don't Tell… it wouldn't have   
lasted, even if the circumstances had taken place as they had. He   
was aware of this and had already moved on, hoping to carry on his   
life with Faye. However, he could only wonder, was she ready?  
  
=====  
  
"What's on your mind?" Faye stirred slightly, feeling Spike caress   
her shoulder gently, laying soft kisses along her neck, stopping at her   
cheekbone.  
  
She moaned softly, silently reveling in the attention he was giving   
her. "Nothing," she told him. "Just trying to hold onto the moment."  
  
Spike chuckled softly; Faye could feel it rumbling in his chest. "Was I   
that good for you?" he asked huskily.  
  
"You were…" she paused for a moment, smirking lightly.   
"Acceptable." It was a lie and they both knew it.  
  
"If I was only acceptable," Spike smirked back. "Then I hope you   
don't expect to find anything better than me."  
  
Though he tried to hide it, she had bruised his ego. Faye smiled.   
"I don't think I'm going to look." she replied.  
  
Spike only nodded, resting his head on top of hers. "So, what   
happens now?"  
  
"I don't know…" Faye replied slowly. "This changes everything."  
  
"Is that so bad?"  
  
Faye shifted, suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable. Did he have to   
ask questions? Why did they have to go back to reality so soon?   
Couldn't she revel in this bliss a little while longer?  
  
Spike let out a deep breath, staring back up at the ceiling. "Are you in   
love with Jet?" he asked.  
  
Faye stared at him for a moment; where had that come from?   
However,the more she thought about it, she realized that he had tried   
to broach thesubject several times, only in more subtle ways. An   
example of which would be how he always asked her why she came   
back to the Bebop or when he joked about the two of them having a   
fling. It was then that shecame to the realization that he had been   
quite serious.   
  
"Jet's looked out for me over these past years," she replied quietly.   
"There were times when I messed up and thought he was gonna throw   
me out on my ass, but he didn't. He was there for me when no one else   
was." She followed his gaze up towards the ceiling. The fan was on,   
spinning around in a rhythmic, almost hypnotic fashion. "So, if you're   
talking about like in a friend/father/brother-type way, then yes.   
Otherwise, no."  
  
"I see…"  
  
Faye was almost certain that his next question would be, "Are you in love  
with me?" She however, remained silent a moment, still considering her   
own question. "Are you still in love with Julia?"  
  
"I thought you were clear on the fact that she's dead." Spike replied.   
"She's ceased living, she won't come back again."  
  
"But that doesn't mean you can't still love her," Faye replied, feeling   
every bit like the bitch she was so reputed for being.  
  
Still, Spike did not move away from her. He sighed, rubbing her   
shoulders gently. "Can't you just accept a good thing for what it is,   
Faye?" he asked. "It's not good to look a gift horse in the mouth."  
  
Faye frowned; a gift? So, he was doing her a favor now? "No,"   
she gritted. "How can I when I'm not used to being given things?"  
  
Spike remained silent, Jet's story coming back to him.  
  
"So used to being beaten, abused, and neglected, the black cat found   
it very hard to trust people, leading her to a life of solitude…after all,   
she was still afraid of getting to close in case things didn't work out…"  
  
He smirked sadly, holding her close to him. "Just a poor black cat…"  
  
"What?"  
  
Spike shook his head, pulling her up into a sitting position along with   
him. "I know you've had to deal with a lot of shit in the past," he told   
her. "We both have, Faye. So, when you say you have a hard time   
trusting people, I understand that. Tomorrow we track down the   
bounty - I can't see the future, so I really can't say what's gonna   
happen." He stared down at her with his mismatched eyes intense   
and focused. "All I care about is the here and now."  
  
Faye remained transfixed under his gaze, unable to break away.  
  
He took her face in his hands, caressing the sides of her face with   
his thumbs. "I'm in love with you, Faye Valentine," he replied.   
"Whole-heartedly and completely… as far as I'm concerned, nothing's   
gonna change that. You may not believe me, but that's how it is." He   
paused a moment, as if hearing something. "And I think it's only fair   
that you tell me how you feel."  
  
Faye was frozen. She wanted to move, but her body wouldn't obey   
her commands. She wanted to speak, but her brain wouldn't allow   
her to articulate. She'd never seen him like this; he wanted to know   
how she felt about him. He was actually pleading! "But… I…" She   
wanted to tell him what it was he so desperately needed to hear - what   
she so desperately needed to say, but the words would die before she   
couldn't even scrounge up enough courage to utter them. She cursed   
inwardly; damn her befuddled brain!  
  
Spike looked up, hearing the whirring of the Hammerhead's engine   
as it touched down on the deck of the Bebop. Jet was back from   
consulting with his cop friend. Within a less than a few hours, they'd   
have an attack plan. 160 million woolongs were as good as theirs.  
  
He smirked, looking down at Faye. That wiped the smirk right off   
his face. She looked as though she were on the verge of tears. A   
pang of guilt pierced through him; he certainly hadn't meant to make   
her cry.  
  
"Hey," He took her chin in his hands, tilting her up to face him. "You   
don't have to answer me right now."  
  
She sucked in a breath, looking up at him in bewilderment. "Spike…"   
Was he still such a mystery to her? The very thought made him smile.  
  
"Don't worry about it." He stood up, stretching a bit. "Just think about   
what I said earlier. It's better to have loved and lost, than to have never   
loved it all." He started to walk away. "Remember… You agreed with   
me." With that, he disappeared around the corner.  
  
After tidying herself up, Faye remained where she was, mulling the   
conversation over in her brain. The words of an old song she had   
heard many years ago came to mind. It seemed to fit the occasion   
perfectly.  
  
I often tell myself  
That we could be more than just friends  
I know you think that if we move to soon  
It would all end  
  
She paused, letting out a deep sigh. Spike had been right; she had   
agreed with him.  
  
=End of Flashback=  
  
End of Chapter 20  
  
Author's Notes -  
  
Hope that didn't suck too much. To be honest, I just trying to fill up  
space before I got to the next chapter. Can you believe this fic is almost  
100 pages long? I couldn't believe it either.  
  
However, I'm sure you all will be happy to know (or maybe you won't,  
it depends) that "That's Why They Call it the Blues" or TWTCITB as I've  
been calling it, will soon be drawing to a close. That's right, there are  
only 3 more chapters to go. Waaiiii, I can't believe it!  
  
Next time, Don't Let Go (Love) 


	24. 21 - Don't Let Go

Chapter 21 - Don't Let Go (Love)  
"Running in and out my life has got me so confused  
You gotta make the sacrifice  
Somebody's got to choose  
We can make it if we try, for the sake of you and I  
Together we can make it right"  
  
"Faye! Faye, where are you damnit!" The sound of Spike's footsteps   
resounded through the empty halls. It seems Jet's bomb had been loud   
enough to scare away the entire faculty and certainly big enough to   
draw attention the unsuspecting shoppers of Bathsheba City. It wouldn't   
be long before the police reached the scene. That meant there wasn't   
much time left.  
  
What with all the smoke in the halls, Spike had to rely mostly on his   
hearing to discern which way to go. Following the distant sound of   
gunshots, Spike came to a lone door at the far end of a corridor. With   
a few bullets to take care of the lock, Spike found himself standing in a   
small, dark room.  
  
"Faye? You in here?" A light flicked on and Spike drew his gun. He   
found himself surrounded by dozens of monitors, each monitor depicting  
different angles of different areas on the compound.   
  
The place was in complete pandemonium. Spike smirked; it almost   
enough to make a guy feel proud. However, being that there was no   
one to gloat to, Spike went back to the task at hand. Glancing at all   
the monitors, he murmured to himself, "If I was a hotheaded,   
gun-toting, not-so-untouchable shrew woman, where would I hide?"   
  
In the far corner, on a medium-sized monitor, Spike spotted Jet, Ed,   
and Ein; he noted he had been in that same hallway less than   
20 minutes ago. Looking closer, he could see that Ed carried Ein in   
her backpack, while Jet occasionally looked back to see if they were   
being followed. Each of them had received their fair share of   
injuries; Ein included.  
  
The sound of another gunshot drew his attention to another monitor. In   
the bottom right corner, Faye could been seen sprinting down the   
hallway in pursuit of who Spike assumed to be the bounty. Her arm   
was bleeding pretty badly.   
  
He had to get to her - fast. "Shit! Faye!" He scanned the monitor   
controls in front of him. "How to find her, how to find her…"  
  
--Click!-- "Stop right there!" Spike turned around to see a young   
woman standing in the doorway with a gun aimed at him. Dressed   
like a mousy intern, or secretary of some sort, she had short blonde   
hair and green eyes. Her stance did not waver. "Drop your weapon,   
right now!"  
  
Spike did as asked, regarding her casually. "That better?"  
  
The girl frowned. "I don't know how you got in here," she replied.   
"But I won't let you hurt Mr. Thanatos."  
  
Spike smirked. "What are you, his lover or something?"  
  
She blushed, despite her attempts to hide it. "I-I'm his personal   
secretary," she answered. "As well as his private consultant and   
bodyguard. Nobody sees him unless they go through me first."  
  
"I see," Spike replied. "I hate to say it, but you're not doing that good   
of a job." The woman blinked in confusion, causing him to point towards   
the monitors. "You see, my partner's already found him. Granted, she   
may not have caught him yet, but let me tell you… when she sets her   
sights on someone, she doesn't stop until she catches him."  
  
Concern passed over the woman's features as Faye fired a shot, just   
narrowly missing him. "You're lying." she exclaimed.  
  
"Am I?" Spike countered. "Lady, your boss has a 160 million woolong   
bounty on his head. I'm surprised you haven't had every bounty hunter   
in the galaxy breathing down his neck."  
  
"Mr. Thanatos has taken care of every bounty hunter that has tried to   
turn him in," she replied confidently. "Though you and your friends are   
the only one's ever to get so close, you, too will fail." With that, she   
pulled back the trigger, catching Spike in the leg. To her surprise, he   
didn't cry out, nor did he fall down. She lowered her gun in   
bewilderment. "Wh-what…?"  
  
Spike only scowled, ignoring the screaming messages of pain nerves   
were sending to his brain; he had already wasted enough precious   
time. "Look, I don't care what you think of your boss," he replied.   
"Or what wonders you think it is he can create - frankly, I don't give a   
flying shit." The woman blinked in surprise. "Your boss is a psycho   
and needs to be caught. Whether we're the ones to do it or not isn't   
important. Do you see that woman on the screen? She's in danger   
and I'm not about to let her die!" His eyes gleamed dangerously. "I   
really don't want to have to hurt you, but if you don't move out of my   
way, I'm gonna have to go through you."  
  
Realizing he wasn't kidding, the woman let out a gasp, raising her gun.   
"Don't you move!" she exclaimed. "I'll shoot again! I swear!"  
  
Spike dropped to his knees. With lightning quick movements, he   
dropped to the ground and grabbed his gun, raising it to meet hers.   
Giving her his trademark smirk, he replied, "Have it your way."  
  
Two shots were fired; both shots made contact.  
  
=====  
  
"Spike? Spike, you there?" Jet stared down at the static-filled screen   
on his communicator. "Answer me! What's your position? What's   
going on? Spike!"  
  
Edward listened to the crackling static with worry, keeping her eyes on   
the hall to make sure there weren't any intrusions. Ein whimpered   
slightly, licking his injured paw - the poor thing had stepped on a few   
shards of glass. Edward had had the hardest time getting them out,   
earning a few cuts herself along the way. She patted his head   
reassuringly. Everything would be just fine - she hoped.  
  
"Spike!" Jet's voice held an edge of panic to it. He couldn't believe this  
was happening again... not when they were so close to coming back   
together...  
  
"…Yeah…?" There was a slight strain to his voice, even though his   
expression didn't show it.  
  
"You injured?"  
  
"Um… no…?"  
  
"No?" Jet frowned. "Spike, Faye's not answering her communicator."  
The lanky bounty hunter laughed, wincing slightly. Jet frown increased   
with worry. "All right, gimme your position. Ed'll take you back to the   
ship-"  
  
"No," Spike interrupted. "You and Ed get the ship ready. Faye and I   
will be with you in a few."  
  
"Spike-person has found Faye-Faye?" Edward asked hopefully.  
  
"Not yet, but I'm close." he answered. He glanced over at Jet, smirking   
lightly. "Don't worry, I can handle it. Just give me an hour. One hour,   
Jet… Spike, out." With that, he terminated the transmission.  
  
Jet frowned, shoving the communicator into his pocket. "Damn"  
  
=====  
  
"There was a woman. For the first time in my life I saw a woman that   
as truly alive. That's what I believed. She was a piece of me I had lost.   
She is my other half that I had longed for."  
  
=====  
  
"I guess I don't know anything about my past anymore…"  
  
"Isn't that something that really doesn't matter?"  
  
Faye frowned at him, obviously not buying his argument. "You think   
that way because you have a past."  
  
He smirked in that noncommittal way of his, as if it didn't matter   
whether she believed him or not, he knew he was right. "No matter   
the past, you still have the future."  
  
=====  
  
Walking through the hall in a dazed state, Faye accidentally bumped   
into Spike.  
  
"Watch where you're going!" She didn't respond. "Hey…?"  
  
Faye stared blankly into a space before acknowledging his presence.   
She glanced up at him slowly. "Sorry…"  
  
Spike looked down at her with a confused expression on his face.   
"Sorry?"  
  
Faye looked away. "I-I… I have to go…" With that, she rushed off.  
  
=====  
  
"What do you do when you find out that any hope of piecing together   
your past vaporized 50 some-odd years ago with the Gate when it   
obliterated Earth? What do you do when you realize you have   
memories of people and places that have long since turned to dust?   
What do you do when you realize that even though you're technically   
80 years old, but you have no clue what to do with your life?" She   
shook her gun slightly to emphasize her point. "You carry on, Spike,   
you persevere! But you wouldn't understand any of that, would you?"  
  
=====  
  
"Spike, you ruined my life! We waited for you, Spike. Weeks - 'he'll   
be back' we kept telling each other, 'he always comes back'. But you   
never did. Eventually we had to give up, we had to go on with our lives.   
It was hard, Spike, it was so hard" She inwardly cursed her voice for   
faltering. "I tried, I tried so hard to forget you - to believe that you   
were dead. I couldn't stand the possibility of you being alive and well   
somewhere - living a happy life with Julia-"  
  
"I was strong before I met you, Spike, or at least I pretended to be.   
You looked down on me, you made fun of me, you ridiculed me and   
still I looked up to you - I trusted you, I believed in you! It didn't matter   
what you said or did to me, all that mattered to me was that when you   
left, I knew for certain that you were gonna come back."   
  
"You ruined my life! You left us, you just turned your back on us like   
you didn't give a damn one way or the other. You left and you died   
because I couldn't stop you. You wouldn't listen to me when I warned   
you because you didn't give a shit about what I had to say - nothing I   
said was ever important to you!"  
  
=====  
  
Spike Spiegel - born June 26th, 2044. An ex-Red Dragon Syndicate   
member, he is currently noted as being a bounty hunter. He resides on   
an old fishing ship by the name of the Bebop, along with its three other   
crew members; Jet Black, an ex-ISSP cop; Faye Valentine, an   
ex-bounty/con-woman turned bounty hunter; and Edward Wong Hau   
Pepelu Tivrusky IV, known as Radical Edward - an infamous hacker.  
  
'Toss in a Welsh Corgi smarter than anyone this side of Venus and   
you got a family that puts the fun in dys-fun-ctional.' Spike smirked to   
himself as he ran through the compound, in search of his comrades.   
He looked back to make sure he wasn't being followed, only to see   
the trail of blood being made by his injuries.  
  
"Damn." It wouldn't be good for him to keep going on like this. He   
had to find Faye - and fast. He still couldn't understand why she was   
putting him through this - that is of course until someone's words   
suddenly came to mind.  
  
"I'm not going there to die… I'm going there to see if I'm really alive."  
  
End of Chapter 21 


	25. 22 - See You Space Cowboy

Chapter 22 - See You Space Cowboy  
"Tatoe inochi tsukitemo - Yet, even if the mortal life comes to an end  
Kono ai o kese wa shinai - This love cannot be erased  
Sore wa towa o ikiru koto - That is to live forever"  
  
When it comes to enjoying pain, there are two types of people:   
sadists and masochists. Masochists were those who enjoyed   
having pain inflicted upon them, while sadists were those who   
enjoyed seeing others in pain. They could be considered takers   
and givers, so to speak.   
  
Death, the Doomsday Bringer, as Edward called him, was an   
excellent example of a sadist. Grinning in sick satisfaction, the   
bounty head currently known as Thanatos, tightened his grip   
around Faye's neck, watching her face turn blue as she gasped   
for air.  
  
"There now," he cooed. "Don't worry, it'll all be over soon."  
  
Clawing at his arm with one hand and desperately straining to   
reach her gun with the other, Faye did everything in her power   
to remain conscious. She went from thinking of the various   
ways she was going to literally beat the shit out of him when she   
got free, to what she was gonna say to Spike when he made   
some smart-ass remark about the injuries she received. From   
there her mind wandered to lyrics of songs she had heard, and   
then to what she regretted never doing in her lifetime - she really   
couldn't come up with much except to be serenaded to the tune   
of Las Flores.  
  
"When I get free…" she gasped, digging her nails into his hand.  
  
Thanatos winced slightly. "You've made a grave error in   
coming here, Miss Valentine," he told her. "I don't really know   
what you expected to find, but it seems 160 million woolongs will   
certainly mean your death."  
  
"You mean yours." Faye countered, that angry gleam still present   
in her eyes. She was down, but by no means was she out. "You're   
not gonna get away with what you did to Spike."  
  
"Spike?" Thanatos laughed out loud. "You poor thing, you really   
are delusional. You really have no idea who I am, do you?"   
  
To his surprise, Faye smirked. "One sick, perverted, sonuvabitch   
that's just about to get his ass kicked!" She lifted her leg, kneeing   
him in the stomach. With the wind knocked out of him, he stumbled   
backwards away from her. Using that moment to her advantage,   
Faye rushed forward, sending him spinning with a hard left hook.   
He hit the ground with a thud, and Faye lunged towards him, holding   
nothing back.  
  
=====  
  
Edward stood on the observation deck of the Bebop, looking down at   
the chaos ensuing below. The little black, ant-like forms of people   
piled out of the Bathsheba City Mall in droves, fleeing like mad from   
an enemy that wasn't even there.  
  
"I guess that explosion must've really spooked them." she observed.   
Jet blinked; she hadn't referred to herself in 3rd person. She looked   
over at him. "Edward thinks Jet used too much C-4."  
  
So much for that, "I did not." he replied indignantly. "Besides, it was   
more like C-2 and a quarter." He paused. "How long has it been?"  
  
Edward checked her watch. "45 minutes and 15.7 seconds." She   
pressed her hands against the glass windows, looking back down   
towards the ground. "Spike-person and Faye-Faye will come back   
won't they?" Jet remained silent. "Won't they? Jet-person?"  
  
Jet walked away, Edward following his every movement with her   
amber eyes shining with worry. Hopping into the pilot's chair, the   
ex-cop began plotting the Bebop's landing procedures. "If they   
don't," he replied evenly. "We're just gonna have to go in there and   
get them."  
  
=====  
  
--Click!-- Thanatos remained completely calm, despite his current   
situation. His compound was in shambles, his cover was blown, and   
within the hour, the police would be crawling all over the place,   
apprehending all of his employees remaining in the facility. Not to   
mention he was bruised, battered, and bloodied, lying on his back with   
a gun pointed at his head.  
  
It didn't really matter, though. Standing over him, ready to send him   
into oblivion, was an angel - an Angel of Death.  
  
"You do realize," he smirked. "That if you kill me, you don't get the   
bounty. I don't come dead or alive like Aeolis did."  
  
"You knew all along, didn't you?" Her voice remained low and   
steady. "You knew Aeolis would find me - you set it up from the   
beginning."  
  
"That is true." Thanatos smirked.  
  
Faye couldn't believe her ears. "Why?" she screamed. "Do you   
know what you've done?!"  
  
"Of course." he answered. "I knew that by hiring Arnold to attack   
you, it would create the necessary correlation that would lead to   
Aeolis, and then invariably to me." He chuckled, resulting in a   
coughing fit. "Like I told you, I can't have bounty hunters breathing   
down my neck whenever the ISSP decides to raise my bounty. So, I   
devised a plan; rather than having to worry, I had you all come to me.   
Seeing that you and your comrades are at the top of your class when it   
comes to hunting, I figured that if I got you out of the way, I'd have no   
problems."  
  
"You asshole!" Faye fired, hitting him squarely in the arm.  
  
"You're too kind." He chuckled for a few moments, breaking out into   
all out gales of laughter.  
  
Faye shook her head, too stunned to comment. Finally everything was   
making sense. "You're… you're not Vicious…"  
  
"You're exactly right." Startled, Faye turned around. Spike stood in   
the doorway, his gun hanging loosely in one hand, and supporting   
himself on the doorframe with the other.   
  
"But… it can't be…" she stammered. "If it's not him, then how is it…?"  
  
"There was a theory that everyone, no matter how ugly they were,   
had a double." He glanced over at Thanatos. "I never really believed   
it until now. All this time, he'd been using Vicious' face and reputation   
to get power. What with no leader to take succession after the coup   
on the Van, who was there to question him when he reformed the   
Syndicate?"  
  
Faye nodded, all the while keeping her eyes on Thanatos. Who would   
have thought someone as scary as Vicious could have a double?   
'Bizarre…' she thought to herself. 'I wonder how Spike's taking all   
this…'   
  
Looking him over, Faye's eyes lit up in worry. Though he didn't really   
seem phased by seeing Thanatos, he was still in pretty bad shape. Hell,   
he looked worse off than she did. And to make matters worse, he had   
come all this way, just to look for her.   
  
She really was a bitch. "Spike…"  
  
Noting the look on her face, he smirked, making his way towards   
her slowly. "I should've known you'd find a way to get into some shit,"   
he drawled. "Though, by the looks of it, I should have let you handle it   
yourself."  
  
"I guess I should get to keep the 160 million woolongs for myself   
then?" she smiled, although it was an uncertain one.  
  
He tried shrugging, resulting in his wincing in pain. "Suit yourself--," He   
paused, his attention drifting over to Thanatos. Reaching into the folds   
of his jacket, the Red Mafia leader drew a gun, training it on the back of   
Faye's head. "Faye-move!"   
  
Before anyone had time to react, Spike rushed forward, grabbing Faye   
by her shoulders. As Thanatos fired, Spike shoved her to the side. The   
bullet zinged past her, grazing her cheek before finally lodging itself in   
Spike's shoulder. He fell to the ground with a thud.  
  
"Spike!" she screamed. "You dumb ass! You should've let me take it!"  
  
He winced, smiling up at her weakly. "I had to return the favor…" he   
replied. "Besides… can't let… you have all the fun--,"  
  
"You know what," she exclaimed. "Shut up - it's time to end this!"   
She got up and walked over towards Thanatos. Loading a fresh clip,   
she took aim.  
  
"Faye…" Spike replied as he struggled to get to his feet. Damn, it hurt   
to move… it was so much better when nothing short of falling out of a   
building could slow him down. He watched as she hefted Thanatos up   
with one hand, pointing her gun to his head. "Don't…"  
  
"Shut up, Spike." she snapped. "I'm tired of this… I'm tired of this   
game, understand? Do you realize this guy's been playing us for   
suckers from day one? He knew about the bounty - he brought us all   
together just so he could kill us!"  
  
"But we stopped him, Faye," Spike said, pushing against the wall in   
order to get up. "It's over."  
  
Faye wasn't listening to him. "I really thought this guy was Vicious,"   
she mused. "I was actually afraid of him… I was so certain that if he   
saw you…"  
  
"He and I would repeat the whole cycle all over again?" Spike finished.   
"I already told you, Faye, that part of my life is finished."  
  
"Is it?" She turned and glared at him. "What happens now, Spike?   
What are you going to do? Leave again? Show up on my doorstep   
three years from now with another bounty? I can't take that, Spike!   
I can't take you leaving again! I can't take being hurt again!"   
  
Spike paused. She hadn't said it, but he knew - Faye loved him.  
  
She glared down at Thanatos. "I won't stand for it! I'm not going to let   
him get away with what he's done - nobody does that to me, nobody--!"  
  
--Click!-- Faye glanced back at Spike. The lanky bounty hunter, weak   
and wobbling, stood tall, his eyes clear and focused. His gun sat poised   
next his temple; his finger was on the trigger.  
  
"What are you doing?" she asked.  
  
"Put the gun down, Faye," he told her. "If you kill him… everything   
we've done, everything we've accomplished will have been a waste."  
  
She blinked. "Everything we've accomplished?" she repeated. "Is that   
all that matters to you? Getting your money? What about all you've   
told me? Was it just lies?"  
  
Spike frowned. "Everything I've told you has been the truth," he   
answered. "As far as I'm concerned, the one with lies has been you."  
  
"What?"  
  
Spike remained calm. "Tell me something, Faye," he replied. "Have   
you ever killed anyone?"  
  
Faye blinked again. "Yes--,"  
  
"Now, when I say that, I don't mean on accident, like a bounty gone   
bad," His expression was dark. "I mean have you ever killed anyone -   
before now - with the actual intent of killing them." Faye remained   
silent. "I didn't think so." He pushed away from the wall, limping   
towards her slowly. "Let me tell you something, Faye - Vicious killed a   
lot of people in his time; some of them had it coming, some of them just   
happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The same thing   
can be said about me. I sent a lot of people to their graves, and believe   
me, that's not something I'm proud of. The thought of my being a cold-  
blooded killer may not sound too plausible to you, but it's the truth.   
Regrettably, it's something that I'll have to keep with me for the rest of   
my days."  
  
Faye stood still, loosening her hold on Thanatos slowly but surely as   
she kept her eyes on Spike.  
  
"I know you're still angry about what happened between me and   
Vicious," Spike replied. "Hell, you might even have your own vendetta   
out against him." Faye blinked. How had he known that? "But, he's   
dead, Faye. Vicious is dead; he's not coming back. You may be tough,   
but not that tough - you're not a killer." He paused for a moment. "Now   
when I tell you this, believe me, because I know what it's like - I've   
been through it all. If you kill Thanatos, you'll be killing the wrong guy.   
It may not bother you now, but that's something you'll have to live with   
for the rest of your life. You don't want to do that to yourself."   
  
He stopped in front of her, lowering his gun and placing his free hand   
on top of her gun. "So, I tell you again, put the gun down."  
  
This time, Faye did as asked. Thanatos' head hit the ground with a   
thud, rendering him unconscious.  
  
At that moment, Jet and Ed decided to make their entrance, bursting   
through the door armed to the teeth with guns, tranquilizers, and little   
green vials.   
  
"All right, nobody move!" Edward exclaimed, her face screwed up in   
a John Wayne-type fashion  
  
Faye and Spike blinked, with blank expressions on their faces.   
  
Realizing there was no danger, Jet smirked, rubbing the back of his   
head. "Hmm, guess the show's over."  
  
"Aww… and Edward wanted souvenirs…" she trailed off, spotting   
Thanatos' wallet lying on the floor. She pulled a thousand woolong bill.   
She stuffed it in her pocket, tossing the wallet back on the floor.  
  
Spike chuckled. "I did say to give me an hour." he replied.  
  
"Ed?"  
  
"It's been exactly 1 hour, 15 minutes, and 35.4 seconds!"  
  
Faye sighed, scratching her head. "Well, I guess that's a wrap then."  
  
Spike smirked, forming his hand into the shape of a gun. He pointed it   
at Thanatos. "Bang." With that, he winced, lurching forward.  
  
"Spike!" Faye exclaimed as he collapsed into her arms. "Don't do this   
to me! Don't die on me, you jackass!"  
  
"I'm not gonna die," he murmured, his head buried in her chest. "I was   
just enjoying the view."  
  
Jet laughed out loud.  
  
Faye's face turned flaming red. However, she didn't have the heart to   
be angry with him. "Lunkhead."  
  
"Lunkhead, lunkhead, lunkhead!"  
  
End of Chapter 22  
  
Author's Notes -  
  
WAAHHHHH! The End!  
  
Just kidding... you guys would have killed me for that, wouldn't you? But   
sad to say, TWTCITB is drawing to a close. ::sniffles:: It's been a great  
ride, but it's almost over... ::breaks out into tears::  
  
Next time, Epilogue - I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues 


	26. Epilogue - I Guess That's Why They Call ...

Epilogue - I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues  
"Don't wish it away  
Don't look at it like it's forever  
Between you and me I could honestly say  
That things can only get better"  
  
Tharsis City; he hadn't been to that place since she died. In fact, he   
had avoided it like the plague - which was why he had chosen not to  
go with Jet when he followed after Faye and Ed during their little   
escapade.   
  
Faye had offered to go with him, as emotional support - though she had  
referred to it as "back up in case things get shitty".   
  
Spike had only smirked, kissing her forehead gently. That was all he   
needed to say to let her know that he would be just fine on his own.  
  
Which was entirely true; Faye had been worried about how he would   
react to the prospect of Vicious being alive. She worried that Spike   
would go after him again or vice versa. To be perfectly honest, Spike   
wasn't entirely sure what he would have done. However, that, like   
everything else, was in the past - and Spike had decided to no longer let   
his past dictate his actions. He was beyond that now.  
  
After setting down a fresh bouquet of roses, Spike stepped away from   
the small gravestone in front of him. Cut in the form of a small cross,   
the base of it read: A Fallen Angel, May she find peace at last.  
  
"I hope you've found your peace, Julia," he replied. "I know I have."   
He smiled gently, rubbing a hand through his hair. The other held a   
small cane to keep his weight off of his injured leg. He gave the   
headstone one last look before turning away towards the exit; back   
home.  
  
Home to the Bebop.  
  
=====  
  
"…Shinjite hoshii no… Yume no tsuzuki ga… Hora utatteru… Ashita   
he no melodiieeee…"  
  
Faye sighed in frustration, glancing back over the edge of the couch   
to glare at Edward, who was dancing around with a pair of headphones   
on her head. "Edward, could you please turn it down a little?" she asked   
irritably. "I'm trying to watch this show!"  
  
"Todokete… Kono koe wo… Tsutaete… Ima sugu ni…"  
  
--Sigh.-- "Why do I even bother?" With her good arm, Faye reached   
forward to turn up the volume on the TV unit.  
  
"Got it, got it!" Edward exclaimed, climbing over the couch to turn it up   
for her. She took off her headphones, glancing at the screen. "Oooh…   
Scarecrow!" she exclaimed happily, sitting down next to Faye, while   
being mindful of her injured arm.  
  
"What do you know about this show, Ed?" Faye asked, intrigued that   
she recognized it. "It's older than I am."  
  
Edward grinned, speaking in a deep, masculine voice. "Stetson,   
Francine, in my office - right now!"  
  
Faye laughed. "So, I take it Billy's your favorite, huh?"  
  
"Who's Faye-Faye's favorite?" Edward asked, her eyes glued to the   
television.  
  
Faye paused thoughtfully. "Ahh… I would have to go with Lee, I   
guess." she replied. Edward laughed. "What?"  
  
"Scarecrow reminds Faye-Faye of Spike!"  
  
Faye blinked, blushing slightly. "He does not!" she exclaimed. "Trust   
me, Lee Stetson has more charm and class than Spike ever could!"  
  
"Is that so?" Spike grinned, coming down the stairs with his cane   
draped over his shoulder.  
  
"You know," Faye deadpanned up at him. "You're supposed to walk   
with that cane, not carry it around like a club you can bludgeon people   
with."  
  
Spike shrugged. "But it's much more fun that way."  
  
The two of them exchanged glances for a brief moment. Ghosts of a   
smile appeared on both of their faces; everything was going to be just  
fine.  
  
Faye sighed, absently fiddling with the sling cradling her arm.   
"Dummy." She glanced back up at the TV only to have Jet blocking   
her way. "Hey, old man, I can't see the screen!"  
  
Jet snorted, "Tough."   
  
Faye pouted. "Now I won't be able to see if they discover who   
Surdayich is…"  
  
Spike chuckled. "So, what's up, Jet?" he asked. Jet frowned, holding   
up a sheet of paper filled with numbers - most of which were in red.   
"What's with the red numbers?"  
  
Faye blinked, glancing up at the sheet. "Uh-oh… that's not good…"  
  
"No, it's not." Jet replied gruffly. "We just got the money promised   
from Thanatos' bounty."  
  
"So, what's so bad about that?"  
  
"Take a closer look," Jet pointed to a bunch of calculations printed on   
the sheet. "You're good with math, aren't you--?"  
  
"Why does everyone keep asking me that?"  
  
"Why do you think?"  
  
"I'm not stupid, if that's what you're suggesting…"  
  
"No… but you're no genius either…"  
  
"All right, you two, knock it off." Jet replied, sighing heavily. Even   
though the two of them were dating, they still squabbled like a pair of   
old hens. When they weren't fighting, they were kissing, when they   
weren't kissing, they were fighting. Go fig. "Anyway, you take the   
160 million originally promised and you make a few… deductions."  
  
The other three bounty hunters stared up at him. "Deductions?"  
  
Jet nodded. "First you take away 60,000,000 woolongs for the cost of   
repairs to Bathsheba City Mall-"  
  
"-Which was your fault."  
  
"That leaves you with 100, 000, 000 woolongs. Next up, you subtract   
490, 000 for the cost of repairs to Faye's car - that stuff ain't cheap…   
do you know some of the necessary parts aren't even in circulation   
anymore?"  
  
Faye huffed.  
  
"Is that it?" Edward asked.  
  
"Not by a long shot. Next up, you deduct another 10,000 in medical   
bills," Jet shot Spike and Faye pointed glares.  
  
"You know, you didn't necessarily come out unscathed yourself, Jet   
old buddy." Spike remarked, pointing the giant bandage sitting on his   
bald head.  
  
Jet cleared his throat, continuing on. "Then, take away another 890,000   
woolongs in damages in Tharsis."  
  
"Tharsis?" Spike blinked. Everyone turned to Faye.  
  
"Mailboxes, street lamps, street signs, and some guy who says he won't   
press charges if we pay him 65% of the 890 grand."  
  
"You gotta be out of your damn mind!" Faye exclaimed. "I wish I had   
hit the little prick!"   
  
Spike laughed, turning back to Jet. "So, what's that leave us with?"  
  
"Take away all the other little fees, deductions, etc., etc... and you get   
9,852,000 woolongs. Divide that three--"  
  
"Four!" Edward chirped.  
  
"-Four ways," Jet amended, sighing heavily. "and you each get   
2,463,000 woolongs. So much for 160 million."  
  
"Aw, c'mon, Jet," Faye replied cheerily. "2 million isn't so bad… in   
fact, that's pretty good considering."  
  
"This coming from the big money-grubber herself…"  
  
"Shut up, Mr. 'Everything we've accomplished will have been a   
waste'… I don't have to take this from you!"  
  
"Would the two of you just can it already?" Jet interrupted. "We'll just   
have to be a lot more careful next time."  
  
"'Next time?'" Both Spike and Faye shot him dubious stares. Jet   
blinked.  
  
"Does this mean everyone gets to stay on Bebop-Bebop?" Edward   
asked hopefully.  
  
Jet paused and paled, still considering the thought in his head. Ed,   
Spike, and Faye were giving him pitiful puppy-dog stares. "All right,   
all right… you can stay," he muttered. "Lazy bums…"  
  
"Yay! Bebop-Bebop is back in business!"  
  
"What the hell am I getting myself into...?"  
  
"Thanks a bunch, Daddy Warbucks."  
  
"Shut up, Faye. Don't think you're gonna go using up all my hot   
water. That goes for you, too, Spike… don't eat everything like it's   
going out of style."  
  
"Yeah, just 'cuz you're skinny as a rail doesn't give you permission to   
eat like a pig."  
  
"Don't hate me because I'm beautiful."  
  
"Okay, I'll just hate you because you're a lunkhead."  
  
"Lunkhead, lunkhead, lunkhead!"  
  
As the four bounty hunters continued on with their ruckus, Ein limped   
over to the television, mindful of his injured paw, and changed the   
channel. The ringing of bells, and cash registers rang, following by   
two large guns appearing on the screen.  
  
"Hola, amigos! I'm Punch-,"  
  
"And I'mmm Judy!"  
  
"And this is the new and improved Big Shot - complete with more   
precise and updated information for all you Cowboys out there!"  
  
Ein sat in front of the TV, watching the two bumbling hosts carry on   
for a few moments about how the show had been cancelled due to   
low ratings, only to be brought back by 'negotiating' with the top   
producer.  
  
"So, Punch, what've we got today?"  
  
"Well, Judy, it looks like we've got ourselves a big fish today." Punch   
exclaimed. "It's a toughie, but well worth the while of any experienced   
bounty hunter out there. According to our information here, this   
bounty's worth forty-seven million woolongs--"  
  
All outside noise stopped, soon to be followed by a mad dash towards   
the TV. Ein was pushed out of the way, as Spike, Jet, and Faye, all   
fought to get closer to the screen.  
  
"47 Million Woolongs??!"  
  
Edward laughed, holding Ein in her arms. Turning towards you, the   
reader, with a grin and a wave, she replies, "O-wa-ri, sayonara!"  
  
WELCOME HOME, SPACE COWBOY…  
  
  
  
Author's Notes -   
  
Aaaaieeeee! It's over, it's finally over! Suddenly there is a great absence!  
What ever will I do now? ::blinks for a moment:: I guess I'll just have to   
write another CB fic... I'm still too far in the mindset to work on my Esca  
fic (sorry guys!)   
  
In fact, I'm already in the planning stages for another one... I guess you   
say it's a continuation of this fic... but you'll be able to decide that for  
yourselves after I start writing it.  
  
Anyway, time to give credit where credit is due...  
  
20 - "The Real Folk Blues", from Cowboy Bebop, performed by Mai  
Yamane  
  
21 - "Don't Let Go (Love)", (I can't remember the album name, sorry!),  
performed by En Vogue  
  
22 - "See You Space Cowboy", from Cowboy Bebop, performed by Mai  
Yamane (a lot of the songs are done by her , aren't they?)  
  
Epilogue - "I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues", from the album   
'Too Low for Zero', performed by Elton John.  
also from the epilogue, "Ashita he no Melody" or (Melody for Tomorrow),  
from Card Captor Sakura.  
  
All of my information, including song lyrics, quotes, etc. came from   
AnimeLyrics.com, The Real Folk Blues (I can't remember the url, sorry!),  
and Lyrics.com  
  
Well, that about cinches it! Cowboy Bebop and all of its affiliates do not  
belong to me, but by its respected owners and creators whom I neglect  
to mention simply because I can't think of their names and I'm too lazy  
to find out. Also, Lee Stetson, Francine Desmond, and Billy Melrose are  
characters belonging to "Scarecrow and Mrs. King", property of Warner  
Bros... I think. However, Macy Caldor, Aeolis Valhoun, Arnold   
Benedict, and Thanatos Ragnarok belong to me. I created them, thus   
they are mine... not that I really want them that much... =P  
  
Don't try to sue cuz I think all I've got on me is 2 dollars worth  
of pocket change.  
  
I hope you all have enjoyed this fic as much as I have enjoyed writing it.  
Thanks for you patience as well as for your awesome reviews. ::big hugs::  
Thanks a bunch! =) 


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